Across the Nutra-verse: Top news from around the world (April 22)

22-Apr-2019 - Last updated on 22-Apr-2019 at 15:05 GMT

It’s a global industry and there’s a lot happening. We know it’s not always easy keeping up with everything that’s happening around the world. The answer? Our weekly round-up of key news from across the globe.

USA

FDA announces Dietary Ingredient Advisory List

The US Food and Drug Administration announced a new tool called the Dietary Ingredient Advisory List to quickly alert the public when it becomes aware of ingredients that “appear to be unlawfully marketed in dietary supplements”.

The announcement, authored by Frank Yiannas, FDA deputy commissioner for Food Policy and Response, is intended to assure the public that the FDA is working on strengthening the regulation of dietary supplements “by modernizing our regulatory framework to meet the demands of this growing industry”.

Reaction from industry stakeholders was mixed.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) applauded the FDA’s efforts to modernize its approach to consumer safety by finding creative solutions to exert greater regulatory enforcement in the face of limited resources, Andrew Shao, PhD, CRN’s interim senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs, told NutraIngredients-USA.

The list is a less piecemeal, more well-coordinated version of the warning letters and consumer alerts FDA has done in the past, added Dr Shao.

On the other hand, Daniel Fabricant, president and CEO of the Natural Products Association (NPA), described the Advisory List as "fundamentally a problem."

Just publishing a list risks more decisions being made at state level or at the plaintiff’s bar. “If the FDA decides to not take a case against someone, they’re basically saying any state, any plaintiff’s attorney is free to do that. That’s a little troubling,” said Dr Fabricant.

For more on this, please click HERE.

Europe

EFSA deem protein isolates safe for extended use in infant formula

The European Food and Safety Authority’s (EFSA) Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) has concluded that whey basic protein isolates are safe under new proposed conditions of use.

The European Commission (EC) had asked the authority to assess the safety of the ingredient’s use in foods for special medical purposes (FSMP) and supplements for infants.

This was in response an application by French-based dairy specialists Armor Protéines to extend its use to infant formula (powdered 30 milligrams (mg) per 100 grams (g) and reconstituted 3.9 mg/100 millilitres (mL).

For more on this, please click HERE.

Asia

Blackmores MVMs — Image source: Blackmores.com.au

Blackmores Q3 profits plunge by 43%

Australia supplements giant Blackmores will overhaul its business after announcing weak Q3 results linked to slower domestic and China sales.

According to NutraIngredients-Asia, overall revenue decreased 4% from Q3 the previous year, while profits dropped 43%.

The company cited lower sales and greater investment in its brands.

Overall sales to Chinese consumers were estimated to be 6% lower on a year-on-year basis, despite China segment sales being up 19% on a quarterly basis.

In a letter addressed to shareholders, CEO Marcus Blackmore said the implementation of the PRC Electronic Commerce Law during the quarter resulted in lower sales to Chinese consumers through Australian retailers, as daigou and C2C sellers reviewed their operating models.

“Our results are not fantastic by any means,” Blackmore told NutraIngredients-Asia. “We struggled with our added growth and our China business, because we lost a lot of the daigou sales we used to have.”

“We've gotten comments like 'Blackmores didn't have enough new products', which I completely agree with. We've been light on new products for the last 12 months or more, and we just have to do a better job at that.”