The US Food and Drug Administration has no objections around the GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status of BLIS M18, a probiotic strain for oral health.
Read about food fortification, illegal diet pills and an 11-year-old dairy ban in India, health claims under scrutiny in Singapore, and yet more infant formula controversy plaguing Nestlé in our news regulatory round-up.
Indian regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), has urged the government to again extend its 11-year-old ban on Chinese milk products until labs at Indian ports have been upgraded for melamine testing.
India's SupplyCo has received a government contract to produce and provide fortified rice in Kerala, after figures revealed that 19.7% of children below the age of five are stunted and 15.7% are underweight.
Local authorities may soon address possible 'gaps' in Singapore’s legislation regarding and healthy food products, with regulator Singapore Food Agency (SFA) commissioning a study to assess its rules regime.
Allegedly 'illegal' keto diet pills being sold online in India has seen regulator FSSAI's authority and competence called into question, with concerns that it is not doing enough to protect consumers.
A report claims that Nestlé failed to act on criticisms of its baby milk formula products and their composition in an investigation that also accuses the food giants of inaction over previous vows.
A leading vitamin K2 developer is working to establish a global K2-specific recommended daily intake as part of its heavyweight awareness campaign targeting health professionals, legislators and consumers.
Read about latest the regulatory developments in China, Blackmores' acerbic response to the MBA's "attack" on complementary medicine, and the mystery of India's missing fortified flour in our regulatory review.
The Medical Board of Australia's (MBA) proposal to reassess the regulation of complementary medicines and practitioners who prescribe them has elicited a strongly worded response from Marcus Blackmore.
The recent slew of crackdowns, regulatory reviews and stricter rules for China's health food and supplement industry are 'growing pains' the industry must overcome, as regulators double down on efforts to promote safety and collect taxes.
China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) is calling for public feedback regarding regulations for health food products containing probiotics.
China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has announced the start of a public consultation to review health food claims, leading to widespread industry uncertainty that regulatory experts claim will hit new product development and...
India's Food and Civil Supplies Department (DFCS) is investigating 90 depot holders for failing to distribute fortified flour to designated beneficiaries.
Nu Skin China has formed a focus group, led by the firm's country CEO, to look into the death of a 34-year-old Chinese woman who died from organ failure after allegedly refusing medical treatment for flu and fever, and instead insisting on drinking...
The Food Safety and Standards Association of India (FSSAI) has announced its collaboration with the Ministry of Ayush on possible standards for ayurvedic ahaar, or traditional ayurvedic foods, as a separate category.
The Indian government is stepping up efforts to improve the nutritional status of residents in rural areas of the country, with a new three-year project to drive R&D in functional foods.
Chinese authorities are trying to reduce the prevalence of fake food by imposing heavier penalties on manufacturers and sellers until "they are made bankrupt".
A first-of-its-kind study has found that despite the increased use and expansion of a flagship government child nutrition programme in India, it has not resulted in significant progress for those who need it most.
Medical marijuana may soon make some progress in India, but any hope of more relaxed regulations on CBD or hemp for nutraceuticals has gone up in smoke, according to one industry expert.
Get our most recent news on nutraceuticals and vitamin C in India, CBD legislation in Australia, India and the Philippines, and Promisia's continued fight against government prosecution regarding its controversial arthritis supplement.
Using the correct methods and engaging laboratories with the right expertise are needed when measuring omega-3 product quality, in order to help safeguard the sector's reputation.
By Will Chu, Niamh Michail, Hank Schultz, and Cheryl Tay
The interest in cannabidiol (CBD) use in food supplements, foods, and even as an ingredient in cosmetics has gained much momentum in the past five years, but what is the regulatory situation around the world?
New documentation has highlighted that the New Zealand Ministry of Health is still actively deliberating a sugar tax, even though the government as a whole has already ruled it out.
Vitamin C shortages in India may soon end, thanks to a proposal from the country's Department of Pharmaceuticals regarding the vitamin's official status.
New Zealand's Ministry of Health has announced it is prosecuting Promisia, the manufacturer of arthritis supplement Arthrem, in a move the firm's CEO claims is littered with "significant factual errors".
The US Food and Drug Administration took action against 17 companies making illegal Alzheimer’s disease treatment claims. Twelve companies were slapped with warning letters while five received online advisories.
Pharmaceutical firms are making strides in the Australia's medical cannabis space, but supplement and nutraceutical firms will have to wait a long time before they can do the same, says an industry expert.
A trade association director is calling for better multi-sectoral cooperation in India, to minimise the need for authorities to clamp down on nutraceutical and supplement companies in India for labelling violations.
From infant formula and health food clampdowns in China to food contamination and supplements controversy in New Zealand, read the latest regulatory news in our monthly review.
Network marketing company Usana reported $1.19 billion in annual revenue in its fourth quarter earnings statement. The company now derives more than 80% of its revenue from the Asia-Pacific region.
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and the Ministry of Commerce summoned all 91 direct-selling firms operating in China to a meeting as part of the “100-day operation” to clean up the health food market.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) department in Pune, Maharashtra, has announced a programme to fortify staple foods in the city, supported by a package of support for food and nutrition firms.
Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) can successfully treat patients with ulcerative colitis, new research from the University of Adelaide shows, with the findings leading to a commercialisation agreement.
New Zealand’s natural products sector is facing yet another lengthy process of workshops, surveys and consultations to secure regulations that are fit-for-purpose, after the government signalled its intention to go back to the drawing board.
Food industry groups in New Zealand are rallying behind a proposed bill that is demanding the introduction of harsher punishment for people who deliberately contaminate/sabotage food.
At least 300 cases worth roughly US$6.7m (RMB45m) have been identified since China launched a '100-day operation' to stem illegal and unethical practices across the nation's health food and supplement industry.
China will tighten its inspection of infant formula products that are pending registration approval by conducting more sample testing and on-site inspection.
Australian regulators and healthcare professionals have called out manufacturers of 'sunscreen pills', saying they are ineffective and possibly even harmful when ingested.
The Chinese authorities have started a '100-day operation' in a bid to weed out unscrupulous industry practices prevalent in the country's health food market.
Advocacy groups and charities have urged The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) to remove sponsorship from infant formula firms for its upcoming Middle East and North Africa conference.
Ninety-eight per cent of the approved health food filings in China over the last 18 months went to domestic firms, a Chinese regulatory consultancy has found.
Food and supplement brands, policymakers, NGOs and civil society organisations (CSOs) in Pakistan are aiming to fight malnutrition with a collaborative effort to ensure financially sustainable food fortification.
Almost 60% of complementary healthcare practitioners in Australia think recent reforms by the Therapeutic Good Administration (TGA) have had an adverse impact on the industry, according to the regulator's own stakeholder survey.
The UAE Cabinet has implemented a blanket ban on the advertising of infant formula and other infant nutrition products, including follow-up formula and complementary foods.
Nestlé is once more the subject of complaints in India, most recently being accused again of attempting to influence paediatricians to promote its infant nutrition products to parents.
India's fortified flour distribution scheme is spreading further throughout Haryana, with Ambala and Karnal the latest districts to see the scheme introduced among its residents by February 1.
The industry can expect to see a boom in China's functional gummy market as the regulatory environment relaxes, according to Chinese supplement manufacturer Sirio Pharma.
Australian regulator the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is advising "extreme caution" when purchasing health supplements online, after discovering cancer-causing contaminants in a Chinese herbal cough product.