The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

Taurine and d-glucuronolactone occur as natural ingredients in food, and are normal human metabolites. They are also usually used at much higher levels and in combination with different ingredients in energy drinks. The new data confirmed a No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) of 1,000mg per kilogram of bodyweight per day for both substances.  Read the press release here.

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Claims for Colotox addressed the product’s ability to “remove toxic buildup,” “detoxify your organs” and “lose excess weight” as well as helping to relieve “ailments” including low energy, bloating and excess weight. NAD sought additional substantiation for implied claims related to colon cancer prevention. Read the entire press release

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A report published on the web site of the Minneapolis-based nonprofit Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), http://www.iatp.org indicates some well-known foods and drinks rich in high-fructose corn syrup may contain detectable levels of mercury.

This report comes on the heels of a new study published in the journal of Environmental Health, http://www.ehjournal.net/content/pdf/1476-069x-8-2.pdf which shows mercury in some samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup tested in 2005.

To read the entire IATP report click here.

Meanwhile, the website HFCSFacts.com begs to differ.  The site, titled “The Truth About High Fructose Corn Syrup,” offers a counterpoint in its document entitled Mercury Study Seriously Flawed and Outdated; Fails to Meet Standards for Scientific Research. The organization is even running Google AdWords ads with links directly to documents challenging the mecury study.

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carminic acid

This final rule responds to reports of severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, to cochineal extract-containing food and carmine-containing food and cosmetics and will allow consumers who are allergic to these color additives to identify and thus avoid products that contain these color additives.  This action also responds to a citizen petition submitted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).

To read the Federal Register notice, click here.

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Acai Palm

The acai berry has been credited by supplement companies with fighting cancer and other diseases.  The acai berry comes from the acai palm.

According to Steve Cox, BBB spokesperson, “many businesses across the country are using the same selling model for their acai products: they lure customers in with celebrity endorsements and free trial offers, and then lock them in by making it extremely difficult to cancel the automatic delivery of more acai products every month.” To read the press release, click here

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California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. recently joined with 32 other state attorneys general in announcing a landmark $7 million settlement with Airborne, Inc. that forces the company to stop advertisements that “dramatically misrepresented” its dietary supplements as cold remedies.

“Airborne dramatically misrepresented its products as cold remedies without any scientific evidence to back up its claims,” Attorney General Brown said. “Under this agreement, the company will stop advertisements that suggest that its products are a cure for the common cold.”

Airborne began selling its products as a cold remedy on the Internet around July 2000 and on television in 2004. In its advertisements, Airborne featured people suffering from cold and flu symptoms and made unsupported statements suggesting its products were a cure for the common cold. To read the news release, click here.

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The multicenter, cohort study looked at 3,709 patients from 103 homeopathic primary care practices in Germany and Switzerland.  Improvements in conditions such as headache and allergic rhinitis in adults and atopic dermatitis and infections in children were common, but more significant in younger patients, females, and those with the greatest disease severity at baseline.

The authors did note that patients were allowed to use conventional and other complementary therapies during the course of the study and that the observed improvements cannot be attributed to homeopathic treatment alone.

BMC Public Health. 2008 Dec 17;8(1):413. To read the abstract and obtain the full text, click here.

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Regulators said the beverage does not have enough nutrients to justify the use of the word “plus” in its name. According to the agency, foods labeled “plus” must have at least 10 percent more nutrients than comparable products. Additionally, the FDA said it is inappropriate to add extra nutrients to “snack foods such as carbonated beverages.” To read the complete warning letter click here .

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Although Section 403(y) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFD&C Act) (21 U.S.C. 343(y), does not require a dietary supplement label to include anything other than a domestic address or phone number for the responsible person, the FDA recommends that the label also bear a clear, prominent statement informing consumers that the domestic address or phone number is for reporting serious adverse events associated with use of the product.

Under section 3(d)(2) of the Dietary Supplement and Nonprescription Drug Consumer Protection Act, the labeling requirements of section 403(y) ofthe FFD&C Act apply to all dietary supplements labeled on or after December 22, 2007. Therefore, these labeling requirements are already in effect. However, FDA intends to exercise enforcement discretion for the new labeling requirements until January 1, 2010.

FDA would have no objection to a firm’s combining the recommended statement with language informing consumers that the domestic address or phone number on the label may also be used for other purposes, as long as the information provided is not false or misleading. For example, a dual-purpose label statement might be “To report a serious adverse event or obtain product information, contact. .. ” or other similar language.

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