Probiotic research needed to fulfill gut health potential
NutraIngredients.com
Probiotics should be considered as living drugs rather than "simple good bacteria" in order to become effective treatment options for IBS, according to Joseph Haddad, medical director of Institut Rosell-Lallemand. Following a recent seminar on probiotics and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), hosted by Institut Rosell in London ahead of Gastro 2009, Haddad gave NutraIngredients.com a progress report.More

Dietary supplements are safe, effective and well-regulated—A rebuttal
Natural Products Association
The following rebuttal, written by John Gay, NPA executive director and CEO, is in response to a commentary titled "Herbal remedies need real scrutiny," recently published on CNN.com and written by David Frum, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
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Natural Products Association issues statement on new supplement safety campaign
Natural Products Association
In response to a new campaign launched today by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) to educate consumers and rid the marketplace of "rogue" marketers selling steroids as dietary supplements, the Natural Products Association, the oldest and largest  trade association representing retailers and manufacturers of dietary supplements and other natural products, issued the following statement: More

FDA collecting comments on manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is announcing an opportunity for public comment on three topics regarding the Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards. Written or electronic comments on the collection of information must be submitted by Feb. 1.More

OEHHA announces notice of intent to list Carbaryl and Spirodiclofen
Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
As the lead agency for the implementation of Proposition 65, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment within the California Environmental Protection Agency intends to list the chemicals, Carbaryl and Spirodiclofen, as known to the state to cause cancer, pursuant to this administrative mechanism.More

Dairy products draft guidance available from FDA
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration announced the availability of draft Compliance Policy Guide Sec. 527.300 Dairy Products&mdash:Microbial Contaminants and Alkaline Phosphatase Activity. The draft CPG, when finalized, will provide guidance for FDA staff on its enforcement policies for pathogens and other indicators of inadequate pasteurization or post-pasteurization contamination of dairy products.More

FDA issues a wake-up call about additives
The Washington Post
"I woke up this morning and I got myself a beer. The future's uncertain and the end is always near," crooned Jim Morrison and the Doors in the song "Roadhouse Blues." Nowadays, an increasing number of brewers are adding coffee to their porters and stouts to produce beer that you might actually want to down as an eye-opener. But a Food and Drug Administration crackdown on caffeinated alcoholic beverages might prove to be a buzz kill for this emerging style.More

More shoppers search for coupons online
USA Today
The wobbly economy is contributing to a rush by millions of online shoppers to a decidedly low-tech business: coupons. The number of people scouring the Internet in search of coupons that they can print and present to retailers, or codes that provide them with discounts on retail sites such as Amazon.com, is up sharply.More

U.S. concern rises over grocery spending
FoodNavigator-USA.com
Nearly three-quarters of American shoppers are more concerned about the cost of groceries than they were six months ago, according to a new study from Health Focus International. The survey – a follow-up on April's "Grocery Buying in the Current Economy" – asked 1,000 primary shoppers about how they are dealing with the economic downturn. The results will be of concern to food manufacturers, as more consumers are worrying about grocery spending, even as their attitudes to the economy as a whole have shown the first signs of improvement.
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Herbal mint 'tea' could be effective pain reliever
NutraIngredients-USA.com
An herbal mint tea is as effective at relieving pain as an aspirin-style drug, claims new research. Scientists based at Newcastle University said that, based on research carried out using mice, their study scientifically proves the pain relieving properties for the first time of the plant Hyptis crenata, otherwise known as Brazilian Mint. More

Study: Omega-3 plus glucosamine 'superior' for joint health
NutraIngredients.com
Combining omega-3 fatty acids with glucosamine achieves better improvements in joint health than glucosamine alone, says a new study from Germany. The study, published in the journal Advances in Therapy, is said to be the first clinical trial to employ the combination of glucosamine omega-3 fatty acids in people suffering from osteoarthritis. U.K.-based Seven Seas funded the study. More

Five tips to green your holidays
Open Forum
While the holiday season is typically a time of consumerism and excess, one needn't sacrifice eco-conscious ideals to have a merry holiday.  With a few tweaks here and there, it's easy to go green without being in the red for the season of giving. More

USDA: U.S. climate bill to benefit farmers
Reuters
Financial benefits from climate change legislation for U.S. farmers will greatly outweigh any additional costs they face from measures limiting greenhouse gas emissions, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. Overall, the U.S. agriculture sector could receive additional income over the coming decades from the climate bill that passed the House earlier this year, Vilsack said.More

Bright ideas for treating the winter blues
The Wall Street Journal
It's that time of year when darkness descends like a heavy blanket beginning in mid-afternoon in much of the country. For some people, it also brings a desire to stay in bed and wait for spring. Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, affects an estimated 6 percent of Americans, causing depression, lethargy, irritability and a desire to avoid social situations. It can also create an urge to overeat, particularly carbohydrates. As many as 15 percent of people in the U.S. may have a milder version that includes only some of these symptoms.More

Indoor tanning: the risks of ultraviolet rays
Food and Drug Administration
Sunlamps and tanning beds promise consumers a bronzed body year-round, but the ultraviolet radiation from these devices poses serious health risks. "Although some people think that a tan gives them a 'healthy' glow, any tan is a sign of skin damage," says Sharon Miller, M.S.E.E., a Food and Drug Administration scientist and international expert on UV radiation and tanning.More