Natural and Organic Consumers Not Giving Up
from The Wall Street Journal
Despite the economic recession, consumers are likely to hold steady and maintain natural and organic grocery purchasing in 2009. That's according to a recent MamboTrack study by Mambo Sprouts Marketing, which surveyed the buying habits of 1,066 natural and organic consumers and their outlook for natural and organic purchasing for the coming year. Even with further economic deterioration and the weakening job market, consumers remain committed to natural and organic product purchasing in 2009, with 8 in 10 reporting no plans to change. More

The Top 10 Natural Products

Alternative medicines are used by 38 percent of American adults and nearly 12 percent of children, according to a large national survey done in 2007 that was released last week by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Natural products were the most popular alternative treatment used by the nearly 24,000 adults and more than 9,400 children interviewed for the survey. More

Store Brands Lift Grocers in Troubled Times

As the economy plunges into a deep recession, grocery stores are one of the few sectors doing well. That is because cash-short consumers are eating out less and stocking up at the supermarket. And store brand products, which tend to be cheaper than national brands and more profitable for grocers, are doing especially well. Led by chains like Trader Joe’s, Kroger, Wegmans and Safeway, grocers have expanded their store brands beyond cheap generics and simple knockoffs of Cheerios, Oreos and Coca-Cola. More

FDA Announces Draft Guidance on AERs During Flu Pandemic

The Food and Drug Administration announced a draft guidance discussing FDA's intended approach to enforcement of adverse event reporting requirements for drugs, biologics, medical devices, and dietary supplements during the Federal Government Response Stages of an influenza pandemic. The agency makes recommendations for focusing limited resources on reports related to influenza-related products and other specific types of reports indicated in the draft guidance. More

FDA Maintains Bisphenol A is Safe

The Food and Drug Administration is sticking with its ruling that bisphenol A is safe, outraging lawmakers and health advocates who say the chemical is toxic and should be banned. The FDA posted a letter this week to members of its advisory board saying that it will review more studies and conduct more research. But unless it uncovers something new, it will continue to recommend that bisphenol A, or BPA, is safe for use in all products, including baby bottles. More

When Foods Become Drugs

The one golden rule when marketing food or supplement products for specific health benefits is that these must in no way imply they can cure or prevent a condition. If this occurs, the product automatically enters the realm of drugs. These are governed by a whole new set of rules and regulations, and hold a completely different position in consumer minds. More

Does Calcium Lessen the Symptoms of PMS?

Do you turn into a witch once a month? The cure may be as simple as adding calcium to your diet through supplements or dairy products, say companies who sell those products. Several studies show calcium does ease PMS-related symptoms, but some physicians suggest a cocktail that also includes other vitamins and minerals. More

FDA Says Seafood Advisory Must Change

The Food and Drug Administration has reportedly delivered a recommendation urging the Federal government to amend its seafood advisory based on the latest science. The FDA has concluded that the greatest benefits to pregnant women and women of childbearing age would come from eating more fish, according to news reports. More

FDA Commissioner Eschenbach to Resign

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach has told his staff that he plans to resign effective Jan. 20, 2009. In an internal message sent early this week to FDA officials, Dr. von Eschenbach said he would work closely with President-elect Barack Obama's transition team "to ensure a seamless change in political leadership at the agency. As with any transition, there will likely be changes for other senior managers as well, although all current Deputy Commissioners and the Chief of Staff are career civil servants who have served me and FDA well." More

Ready-to-Eat Foods from Retailers are 6 Percent of Foodservice Meals

Six percent of the roughly 62 billion commercial foodservice meals and snacks consumed in a year are purchased at retail stores -- food, drug, discount, department, and price clubs -- while stores represent an additional 7 percent, according to a new Retail Meal Solutions report from market research firm The NPD Group. More

CFSAN Roundtable Talks Functional Food, Tween Nutrition

FDA's Center for Food Safety and Nutrition division held a nutrition roundtable recently to update stakeholders on some of the agency's activities, including functional food oversight. An overview of the agency's priorities and accomplishments was provided by Steven Sundloff, Ph.D., director of CFSAN, but the real roundtable came from presentations on food packaging, functional foods and the new obesity campaign for pre-adolescents. More

High-dose Supplements May Improve Stroke Rehab

People who are undernourished after suffering a stroke benefit from intensive dietary supplementation during rehabilitation, according to results of a pilot study conducted at the Burke Rehabilitation Hospital in New York. More

Personal Care Products Might Contain Harmful Chemicals

Now we’re really getting personal. This installment of FYI’s Greener Living series is focused on your private place — the bathroom. That’s generally where you use all that soap, body wash, shampoo and lotion. More

Nearly Three-Quarters of Youths with Diabetes Found to be Insufficient in Vitamin D

Three-quarters of youths with type 1 diabetes were found to have insufficient levels of vitamin D, according to a study by researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center - findings that suggest children with the disease may need vitamin D supplementation to prevent bone fragility later in life. More