Rule changes in China dominated the regulatory landscape for the supplement and infant nutrition industries in Asia over the past 12 months — and this was clearly reflected in our top five policy stories of 2017.
Fears that India's new GST framework could negatively impact health food and supplement businesses have been played down, with two firms telling us that July's rule changes haven't damaged business.
Finding the right partner in China is critical to navigating this ever more important market in the dietary supplements industry, according to the United Natural Products Alliance.
Malaysian authorities have clamped down on fake infant formula being sold in Johor Bahru, namely a counterfeit version of Enfagrow A+ Malaysia’s Enfalac A+ Step 1.
Becoming the first country to certify the sustainability of its palm oil will boost exports and undermine 'unfair' labelling practices, a leading industry official has told us in an exclusive interview.
A proposal by the International Probiotics Association to work towards harmonizing probiotic guidelines for use in foods and dietary supplements has received the support of Argentina, and the country will lead the work.
Few companies are heeding the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India's (FSSAI) mandatory instructions to fortify edible oils and packaged milk products.
UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) Pakistan's nutrition chief Melanie Galvin has compared infant formula manufacturers to the tobacco industry, saying they have been "using similar tactics here after regulations were tightened against them...
Global manufacturers of speciality infant formulas have received a major boost from the Chinese government, which has done away completely with the 20% import duty.
Multinational food firms are striving to show they are part of the solution — and not the problem — when it comes to tackling Asia's rising levels of obesity and diabetes, but industry-backed projects need to be successful "on a small scale"...
New Zealand's advertising regulator has clashed with academics over a study that concluded advertising rules are ineffective in protecting children from exposure to unhealthy food marketing on television.
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has ruled whole-leaf Aloe preparations containing anthranoids not suitable for use in foods, including food supplements.
‘Food is at the heart of a growing global health crisis’, with a more joined-up approach from governments, industry and individuals needed to tackle the double burden of malnutrition in South East Asia.
India is home to the largest number of malnourished children globally, with 50% of the world's under-nourished children residing in the country, according to new data.
There is an urgent need to better track community nutrition to support policymakers in improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in remote communities.
The first wave of supplement firms wanting to make Australia’s 'game-changing' new health claims will be able to register their interest by the end of this year.
Products from Abbott Nutrition, Mead Johnson, Nestlé and Danone will be imported into India for children suffering from inborn errors of metabolism (IEM ), under a new Diet4Life initiative.
The Singapore government is weighing up a range of measures, including taxes, more stringent advertising bans and warning labels on products, for soft drink manufacturers that fail to meet its sugar reduction objectives.
China’s amino acids manufacturers are expanding their production and application scope to include a broader range of supplements and pharmaceuticals, but overcapacity and environmental pollution are continuously adding high pressure on the future development.
The legal troubles of Hi Tech Pharmaceutical CEO Jared Wheat continue to worsen with the unveiling of a judgement against him in federal court that has imposed sanctions of more than $40 million.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) proposal to introduce more fortified foods to combat malnutrition in the country has not received sufficient industry support with regard to some ingredients.
The rise of sports nutrition, complex regulatory and sourcing issues, and the ongoing surge in cross border e-commerce is driving trade association membership in China, as more international firms begin to tap into opportunities in the country.
Major Japanese sports nutrition firm BodyPlus International has received BSCG (Banned Substances Control Group) drug-free certification for a number of its products as it seeks to boost its quality credentials in the build-up to the 2020 Olympics.
The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has issued a blanket ban on marketing and free sampling of infant formula in hospitals in Pakistan, following a meeting with Formula Milk Association office bearers on 26 September.
Athletic doping is a growing area of concern in APAC, with the Japanese Anti-Doping Agency (JADA) most recently issuing a warning about Anavite, a brand of nutritional supplements.
More than 1,200 adulterants have been found in proprietary Chinese medicines (pCMs), which are the finished dose form of supposedly all-natural Traditional Chinese Medicines.
Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has seized over S$133,000 worth of illegal health products, in an international operation coordinated by INTERPOL.
A recent article in The Economist magazine bashing Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as “state sponsored quackery” is an example of the arrogance of the Western point of view on science and medicine, a view which denies the roots of all medical knowledge,...
Supplement and food firms operating in China’s booming cross border e-commerce market have been buoyed by a year-long extension of the existing trade laws, which were due to be replaced on January 1.
The most significant individual factors in the first 1,000 days of a child's life that influence health and development relate to nutrition, substance use and the experience of significant stress, according to a wide-ranging Australian evidence paper.
Young Living, a multilevel marketing company that sells products based on essential oils, has entered into a plea agreement for illegally trading in oils from endangered species. The company will pay fines totaling $760,000, the Justice Department announced...
After calling on soft drink firms to slash sugar content, and encouraging the development of more functional ingredients, the latest addition to Singapore’s so-called 'war on diabetes' is S$5 screening tests for people aged 18 to 39 who are...
Food safety agencies in the UK have seized large quantities of DNP following a multi-agency effort, while Dutch authorities captured anabolic-androgenic steroids intended for use in sports nutrition supplements.
Manufacturers and distributors of very low calorie diet (VLCD) programmes and products could be effectively wiped out by new rules passed by European lawmakers last week, warn industry leaders.
Australian regulator the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has released a draft bill covering new supplement laws, including a third approval pathway for higher-level health claims.
Supplements and functional food products imported into China via cross-border e-commerce could be subjected to the same labelling laws that apply to food items imported the traditional way, according to a regulations expert.
Athletes in India must be better educated on the detrimental effects of doping and regulators must introduce stricter labelling rules for over-the-counter supplements, president of the All India Council of Sports Vijay Kumar Malhotra has said.
The failure to register intellectual property (IP) rights on time is a common problem for foreign supplement and functional food companies in China, according to global co-head of CMS Life Sciences Sector Group Nick Beckett.
A recent anti-smuggling operation by Indian customs officials and the country’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seen a total 122.5 metric tonnes of ascorbic acid (or vitamin C) seized by authorities.
China’s Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) has announced the second batch of infant nutrition companies and products that have been approved under its new registration programme.
