The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently updated drug surveillance information on its website, which lists all products that are identified as potentially harmful—among the new products added to the list was orlistat, a weight loss drug sold by GlaxoSmithKlien (GSK) under its Alli brand and by Roche as the prescription product Xenical. Alli was approved as the only non-prescription weight loss drug in 2007, bringing it into direct competition with the dietary supplement weight loss category.

The potential risk was identified via an adverse event reporting system for drugs, which highlighted possible liver problems (hepatotoxicity) linked to the products.

FDA says that the addition of a drug to this surveillance list does not mean that a causal relationship between the drug and the listed risk has been identified. “It means that FDA has identified a potential safety issue.”

“FDA is continuing to evaluate this issue to determine the need for any regulatory action,” stated the agency. “Most of these reports have been mild and have not provided evidence for clinical concern; none have been causally linked to Alli. Liver changes (specifically elevation in liver function tests) are common and can have many causes.”

A new study funded by the Natural Products Foundation has found the total economic contribution of the dietary supplement industry to the US economy is more than three times annual consumer sales, or $61 billion dollars per year. The study also showed that the dietary supplement industry has enough activity throughout production and sales to support more than 450,000 jobs, while industry concerns paid more than $10 billion dollars in taxes in 2006.  

“Most industry assessments primarily focus on sales, but this is really just the tip of the iceberg,” said Tracy Taylor executive director of the Natural Products Foundation. “The labor, materials and technology necessary to move each product from a raw material to the final sale cause a whole spectrum of economic consequences.”  

The Economic Impact Report, completed by Dobson DaVanzo, a Washington DC-based economic research firm, is the first to quantify the dietary supplement industry’s overall financial impact on the national economy by considering such contributing factors as supply, production, research, direct employment, manufacturing, taxes and the extended financial effects these factors produce. By expanding the study’s analysis beyond the industry’s most basic financial impact of more than $20 billion in consumer sales annually, researchers were able to provide a more complete economic picture, charting the widespread effects that dietary supplement-related transactions have on other, complementary industries.

“For example, the dietary supplement industry contributes to output (or spending) in other industries, such as retail and wholesale trade; real estate, rental and leasing; finance and insurance; professional, scientific and technical services; and manufacturing,” wrote the study’s authors.

The dietary supplement industry’s influence is expanding, with the entire industry growing at a rate that exceeds the rate of inflation, the study said.

“The dietary supplement industry is a significant economic engine that powers businesses in communities in every state across the country,” said Taylor. “And the fact that the industry has been growing steadily at a rate that exceeds inflation for more than 10 years, even in unstable economic times, bodes well for the future.”

As the number of food and beverage products sweetened with stevia-based ingredients continues to grow in the United States and worldwide, the US Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention recently announced that new reference standards for Rebaudioside A and Stevioside are now available. The reference standards for these two ingredients complement the soon-to-be-released written testing standard for high-purity Rebaudioside A in the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC), a collection of documentary standards for food ingredients that allow manufacturers to demonstrate the quality, and thus related aspects of safety, of the products they provide to consumers.

The reference standards for Rebaudioside A and Stevioside are authenticated pure chemicals against which both producers and purchasers can compare their ingredients to help ensure and substantiate the identity, quality, purity, strength and consistency of their food ingredient, protecting their products and brands from low-quality, potentially adulterated ingredients, thus helping to maintain food safety. The FCC and its associated reference standards are produced by USP, a nonprofit scientific organization that has set chemical standards for close to 200 years. These standards—for pharmaceuticals, excipients, dietary supplements and food ingredients—are used in more than 130 countries throughout the world. The new stevia standards demonstrate the commitment of USP to continue to support the food industry with quality monographs and reference standards.  
 
The new reference standards have been thoroughly tested and endorsed by USP’s Reference Standards Expert Committee, a group of independent volunteer experts, to ensure their suitability for use. The written FCC testing standard for high-purity Rebaudioside A is expected to be released August 31, 2009. For more information and to purchase the reference standards, visit www.usp.org/products/referenceStandards.

Leading scientists from around the world will gather in Monterey, CA next month to share their latest research on the positive effects of berries on human health. The 2009 Berry Health Benefits Symposium, sponsored by the National Berry Crops Initiative (NBCI), will cover such topics as berries and brain aging, cancer, cardiovascular disease, metabolism and other health-related issues. The NBCI is a partnership of industry, academia and government formed to foster the US berry industries.

“The Berry Health Benefits Symposium offers a unique opportunity for researchers from different disciplines who share a common interest to network and learn from one other,” said Cat McKenzie, administrator of the National Berry Crops Initiative and organizer of the symposium. “This is an exciting time for berries and this year’s symposium will not only showcase the benefits of berries in our diet, but will also contribute to making scientific breakthroughs possible in the future.”

More than twenty acclaimed researchers will present during the two-day event, including the event’s keynote speaker, Dr. Jim Joseph, director of the Neuroscience Laboratory at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. Joseph will share new research suggesting that diets rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds—like those found in berries—may slow the decline in cognitive function that occurs with aging and lower the risk of developing age-related neurodegenerative disease.
 
In addition to the research presentations, there will be a session open to the public, at no charge, where a select panel of symposium speakers will summarize the highlights of the emerging science in lay language. A berry tasting and cooking demonstrations will follow, led by Janie Hibler, author of The Berry Bible and Chef Mary Pagan of the Culinary Center of Monterey. In addition, a Monterey Bay Berry Bus Tour offers a first-hand look at the 15,000 berry acres under cultivation in Monterey County, with opportunities to meet the berry farmers and to enjoy a gourmet dinner at the Chaminade Resort Hotel. There is a fee for this activity.

 For more details on the event, visit www.berryhealth.org.

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is appealing a Federal District Court ruling upholding Ohio’s regulation that takes away consumers’ rights to receive truthful information on dairy labels concerning the practices used to produce those products. The regulation goes against increasing consumer interest in knowing how their food is produced, and farmers’ rights to accurately communicate their production practices to consumers, said the OTA.

“OTA believes consumers have a right to know how their food was produced, and organic farmers and manufacturers should be allowed to tell them,” said Christine Bushway, executive director of OTA.

On March 30, 2009, a Federal District Court in Ohio upheld an emergency rule enacted by the Ohio Department of Agriculture that would have required labels to include a disclaimer for dairy products produced from cows not treated with recombinant bovine growth hormone. Subsequently, OTA filed a notice of appeal to the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit concerning the order and opinion denying OTA’s motion for a preliminary injunction that would have stopped Ohio's emergency rule. After receiving OTA’s notice of appeal, the court postponed enforcement of the emergency rule until resolution of the appeal.

In order to qualify for the organic label, organic farmers are prohibited from using synthetic growth hormones (rBGH), genetically engineered organisms (GMOS), antibiotics and toxic, persistent, synthetic pesticides. The standards also mandate a rigorous system for inspection, certification and verification of organic practices, all of which protect consumers who choose organic products.

“Even though the court’s decision upholds a restriction on consumers’ right to know where their food comes from and how it is produced, consumers who choose organic dairy products can still be assured that the products have been produced without the use of synthetic growth hormones, antibiotics or toxic, persistent pesticides,” advised Bushway. She noted that the overwhelming majority of Americans wants this information on product labels but will not see truthful information on organic product labels as a result of Ohio’s action.

For more information call (413) 774-7511or visit www.ota.com.

According to the Charlotte Business Journal, Albert’s Organics (Bridgeport, NJ) is launching a Southeast distribution center in Charlotte, NC. The 43,000-square-foot facility, slated to open in September, will service grocers, restaurants and natural food stores throughout the region and open up new markets for certified organic growers in the region.

The Charlotte location reportedly fills a hole in service for Albert’s, which has centers in Rocklin and Vernon, CA; Aurora, CO; Sarasota, FL; Mounds View, MN; Chesterfield, NH; and Bridgeport, NJ.

Company spokesperson Simcha Weinstein said in the Business Journal report that the company will now be able to ship goods as often as five times per week to customers in seven states, up from once or twice a week. “Our center in Bridgeport outside Philadelphia was just a little too far north, and our Sarasota center was just a little too far south,” Weinstein said. The company also expects to travel an estimated 400,000 fewer miles annually by having a distribution center located in Charlotte.

For more information, call (800) 899-5944 or visit www.albertsorganics.com.

Back to Top