Functional Ingredients

Norway's NattoPharma is celebrating after gaining permission to use its vitamin K2 ingredient in functional foods and supplements throughout the European Union.

GlaxoSmith's weight loss pills get a troubling report from FDA

According to the Associated Press, the Food and Drug Administration is investigating reports of liver damage in patients taking alli, the only nonprescription weight loss drug approved by the agency and Xenical, the prescription version of the drug.

50 named in Oprah/Oz lawsuit, many açai companies on the list

Don't mess with Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Mehmet Oz. That was the message last week when the two TV gurus filed suit against 50 businesses over allegations the companies used their personae without permission to endorse products.

Beetroot could help athletes beat fatigue, say researchers

Drinking nitrate-rich beetroot juice boosts stamina and could help athletes exercise for up to 16% longer, according to a newly published study.

Kellogg adds fibre to popular children's cereal in the US

By Joysa Winter

Kellogg Co., the world's largest manufacturer of breakfast cereals, has begun reformulating its products to add more fibre.

WiFi: Online ads work better than TV for cereals, cookies & bars, pasta & pizza, tea & juice

Online advertising can be as effective as television advertising in lifting retail sales of CPG brands, according to a new study from comScore and dunnhumbyUSA.

Probiotics technology opens up FRO-YO markets for Ganeden and Danisco

According to a recent article in Restaurants and Institutions magazine, the FRO-YO market is attracting health minded consumers for taste, low-fat and a growing understanding of the importance of probiotics for immune health.

Nutrition Business Journal web seminar to review the $101.8 billion U.S. nutrition industry

New Hope Natural Media's Nutrition Business Journal will present its annual U.S. Nutrition Industry & Supplement Overview Web Seminar on August 20 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Mountain Time.

Vitamin sales soar in Brazil, but noni ban hits dietary supplement sales hard

By Joysa Winter

According to new research by Euromonitor, vitamin sales in Brazil increased 11 per cent in value terms in 2008.

WiFi: Social media and videos are top choices for marketing

Despite continuing concerns about measuring ROI and effectiveness, two-thirds of marketers have used social media in 2009 and half have used viral videos, making these two formats the fastest-growing tactics in marketing.

FDA provides some answers on adverse reporting

By Ivan Wasserman

Since knowing exactly what must be reported and how it is to be reported has presented challenges for the industry, FDA has recently attempted to answer some of the industry's questions with a new guidance document.

Functional candy means sweet-toothed consumers can eat to their stomach's content

German firms Beneo-Palatinit and Bosch Confectionery are set to jointly unveil what they claim is a tooth-friendly chewy candy that doesn't have digestive side-effects.

US children's food-advertising initiative has global impact

By Joysa Winter

Three years after launching, 15 of America's largest food manufacturers and food-service companies are now participants in the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative.

Organics under fire from UK science review

The organic sector has reacted with a mixture of fury and disbelief to a UK Food Standards Agency report declaring organic food and ingredients are no healthier than their conventional counterparts.

Shoppers reluctant to switch brands for kids and pets

While half of American consumers switched from national brands to store brands for food, household, health and personal-care products, most are still reluctant to do the same for child- and pet-care purchases, according to research from ICOM.

Whey peptide may improve vascular function

A new peptide from Glanbia Nutritionals may improve vascular elasticity, thus helping to prevent the onset of vascular disease, according to a recently published human clinical study in the July issue of Nutrition Journal.

WiFi: Women will give up Prada, PDA and mother-in-law - but not social networking

More than one-third (36%) of online US and Canadian women would give up chocolate, their Pradas, or their mother-in-law before they gave up their social networks, according to a research study and report by ShesConnected Multimedia.

NBJ Summit recap: Consumers, retailers hungry for information and innovation

By Carlotta Mast

The take away messages from Nutrition Business Journal's annual summit in Dana Point held late July were symptomatic of what is on consumer's minds these days - health care and the economy.

New organic nutrient study questioned

Are organics healthier? A study to be released in September in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition downplayed the significance of nutrient values between conventional and organic produce.

FDA issues draft guidances for tomatoes, leafy greens and melons

The U.S. FDA published three draft guidances designed to help growers and others across the entire supply chain minimize or eliminate microbial contamination in tomatoes, leafy greens, and melons.

Industry signposts: Hints of things to come

Hints of what's to come in the functional ingredients industry.

Study: baby-boomer men underserved

Although women still own the purse strings when it comes to health and household purchases, men are more opt to impulse buy, they worry less about the recession and they are in dire need of information to help them make healthier decisions.

15 minutes with PLThomas' Paul Flowerman

Paul Flowerman, president of PLThomas, recounts his early years and his father's exemplary advice.

It's all conditional

The July/August issue is an opportunity to check in on 'what conditions our conditions are in,' for the healthy ingredient industry.

Fi industry chatter - August 2009

What the industry is talking about in summer '09.

Industry comes face to face with EFSA's claims-assessment panel

A crunch meeting with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to discuss the fraught health claims approval process has left food and drink companies feeling short-changed.

Real men take supplements

Considering that one third of the purchasers of dietary supplements are men, and that men are more likely than women to stay on a supplement programme once started, there is a significant opportunity for expansion.

Other Suppliers

Other categories

Energy ingredients give it a shot

The energy sector is positively off the charts, thanks to new ingredients and new applications.

Less stress, deeper sleep

According to Nutrition Business Journal, two thirds of Americans report having trouble sleeping several times a week, and some 44 per cent report problems sleeping nearly every night.

Weight-loss pills take a hit

The US weight-loss supplements market is $1.7 billion, according to NBJ, but no ingredient has emerged to lead the category since ephedra was banned in 2004

Wellness is the place to be, even in a tough economy

By Marc Brush

The baby boomers just keep on ageing and spending. As 78 million boomers pass into their sixties, they remain the richest generation in history. Doug Anderson of Nielsen's Global R&amp;amp;amp;amp;D sees them gravitating en masse toward wellness products.

What women really want

By Marc Brush

According to recent statistics from Nutrition Business Journal, 10 million women use hormone-replacement therapy to remedy the symptoms of menopause.

What condition is tops?

Depending on whom you ask, there are different top health conditions the marketplace is gravitating toward. Here are the top three picks of a number of industry insiders.

The House approves the food safety bill

After yesterday's false start, the House finally approved a long awaited overhaul to food safety laws.

Joint and bone health are connected

More consumers are now turning to foods - the amount of such foods marketed is up 29 per cent - and beverages - up 11 per cent - fortified with joint-health ingredients.

How condition-specific works

Fi asked raw material supply thought leaders their impression of the 'condition-specific' concept. Is it the best way to market your ingredients to manufacturers and marketers?

Cholesterol leads cardio category

While the oldest natural supplement to aid in improving cholesterol levels is niacin, the newest and hottest is plant sterols.

Managing blood sugar emerges as a top concern

Consumers are very interested in foods that promote healthy blood glucose: 69 per cent of primary grocery shoppers are extremely or very interested in buying or using foods or drinks that help manage blood sugar.

Full-body anti-ageing

By Marc Brush

The anti-ageing sector covers a lot of ground in its fight against preventive age-related disease, from skin creams and cosmeceuticals to anti-cancer remedies and nutraceuticals with numerous health benefits.

Brainy ingredients get brawny

An estimated 10 per cent of Americans, some 21 million adults, have mood disorders. Another five million have Alzheimer's disease.

Gut health links to immunity

The line between gut health and immune function is a blurry one. Particularly in the probiotics sector, increasing the beneficial bacteria in the gut can lead to improvements in immunity.

The better to see you with...

Eye health is increasingly important to the rapidly ageing world's population, providing opportunity for ingredients suppliers.

Immune health fights the flu

OTC medications are facing increased competition from supplements positioned as general immunity boosters.

Podcast: The whey to satiety

The dairy triumvirate talks with FI's Todd Runestad about whey-based weight-management prototypes.

Podcast: Immune sector gets a boost

Dave Walsh at Biothera discusses the science and marketing of their award winning ingredient with FI's Todd Runestad.

Podcast: The Reb-A revolution

Mel Jackson of Sweet Green Fields speaks with FI's Todd Runestad about stevia's sweet future/

Market Overview: Personal Care Ingredients

By Karen Raterman

When it comes to product development, timing just may be everything. Especially for natural personal care and the beauty-from-within concept, a category has been simmering on the sidelines since the mid '90s.

Condition-specific marketing defines the era

In this directory, Fi lays out the trends in 15 categories of health conditions, and lists some of the chief suppliers of ingredients that are known to have a positive effect on the condition.

Boulder's naturals industry pioneers gear up for GMO fight