Reports that some infant formula products on sale in Australia and New Zealand contain potentially 'dangerous' nanoscale particles have been dismissed by regulators and scientists — with one branding it blatant 'scaremongering'.
New Zealand's long-awaited Natural Health Products Bill is unlikley to be put before parliament before September's election, according to the Ministry of Health.
A weight loss supplement has been branded "a serious health risk" after officials in Australia found it contained the prescription-only medication sibutramine.
Five major New Zealand manufacturers – backed by trade body Natural Products New Zealand (NPNZ) – have hit out at a "small group of detractors” which they claim is creating "misinformation" about the country's proposed Natural Health...
Blackmores CEO and MD Christine Holgate is leaving the supplements giant after nine years at the helm to take the top job at state-owned Australia Post.
New Zealand supplier Anagenix has said the first finished product featuring its lung-enhancing BerriQi ingredient will be launched in China in the next few months.
China could set up a dedicated bureau for e-commerce as online sales continue to rise and on the back of widespread regulatory uncertainty that has affected many international supplement firms using cross-border channels.
Blackmores’ standing in China has received a boost after its Asia MD, Peter Osborne, was appointed vice chairman of the China Association for Quality Inspection’s (CAQI) advisory committee.
A new Healthy Dietary Habits Index (HDHI) could help adults in New Zealand properly assess the quality of their diets, according to a recent study, which also highlighted the impact of ethnicity on nutritional status.
Supplementation and other dietary modifications have a largely limited effect on chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) symptoms, according to an Australian review.
Trade body Complementary Medicines Australia (CMA) has backed a new report into preventive health, which details how the country is lagging behind fellow OECD nations Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Today’s typical Western diet is well known for its imbalance between the intake of omega-6 to omega-3 oils. Not surprisingly, there is increasing interest in what this actually means for our bodies and our long-term health, writes Complementary Medicines...
New Zealand fish oil firm SeaDragon has posted a net loss after tax of NZ$6,659,000 for the year to 31 March, its preliminary financial results reveal.
A commitment to consumer-focused research, educating partners in the sales chain, and investing in naturopaths appears to have helped cement Blackmores’ domestic standing despite a much-publicised slowdown in sales.
Five academic projects have been awarded Newtrition Asia research grants by BASF for their work addressing some of the major consumer health concerns in APAC.
A new collaboration between ingredient supplier Anagenix and Plant & Food Research will see products based on New Zealand science fast-tracked to the international market.
Common allergens should be incorporated into Australian infants’ diets in the first year of their lives in order to minimise their risk of food allergies, according to a panel of experts.
Australia and New Zealand are now among the OECD’s five most obese nations, while Japan and South Korea are the two least obese nations on the list, according to the OECD’s Obesity Update 2017.
Stopping sales of 'unhealthy soft drinks' in Australian sports centres leads to increases in purchases of healthier beverages and the same level of total dollar transactions, claims new research, with sugar-containing sports drinks now facing...
A supplement company and its owner have been fined a total of NZ$526,500 for claiming the bee pollen it used was New Zealand-made, when in fact it was produced and processed in China.
New Australian research shows that rates of weight gain are established by the time women are 18-23 years old - meaning data taken at this age could identify those who are likely to become overweight or obese by the time they are 40.
Hong Kong-listed infant nutrition company Ausnutria's total revenues have grown by almost one-third to RMB751.3 million during the first quarter of 2017.
Innovation is booming in Australia and New Zealand’s vitamins and dietary supplements sector with companies rolling out scores of new products over the past five years, according to new research.
Australian and New Zealand probiotic product launches have rocketed by 200% in the past three years, with immunity claims becoming widely accepted by consumers alongside traditional gut health benefits.
On Friday, April 28, Australia—and to some extent New Zealand—witnessed the birth of a brand new industry segment, when a council of ministers agreed finally to permit the consumption of hemp seeds by humans as food.
The cost of testing and not having enough experts in the field are holding back the growth of nutrigenomics-based personalised nutrition in Asia-Pacific.
New omega-3 laser testing technology in New Zealand has showed that 11 widely-available supplements were in line with their label claims, “which should give consumers reassurance regarding the quality of the oil in the capsules.”
An international project has been launched to better understand how events during pregnancy and childhood influence the development of disease later in life, with the University of Western Australia and medical research organisation The Telethon Kids...
New Zealand contract manufacturer Alaron has undertaken a multi-million-dollar expansion and renovation project at its Nelson site, with the firm hopeful of growth for its customers in South East Asia after China sales began to go “off the boil” due to...
The Kiwi natural products industry has been in fine form in recent years thanks to sustained exports growth – but according to speakers at the recent Natural Products New Zealand Summit, now is not the time for firms to rest on their laurels.
Vitamin boss Marcus Blackmore has given $10m to the National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NCIM) at Western Sydney University in a 'no strings' donation to undertake research into complementary medicine.
The CEO of Australia’s largest independent vitamin retailer has argued the industry is missing too many opportunities to maximise supplement sales and deliver high-quality customer service.
The New Zealand government is committed to helping natural products and supplements firms meet their export potential by removing barriers to innovation, according to the country’s environment minister.
Trade body Natural Products New Zealand is hoping new industry regulations – which it believes will help boost exports – can finally be passed before the nation’s elections in September.
Natural products with functional claims such as honey continue to face a bright future as both a food and a therapeutic product, not least in China where demand is expected to soar.
Complementary medicine firms in Australia have just one week more to respond to a raft of proposed regulatory changes being considered by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
Phloretin from apple trees helped ease asthma symptoms in a mouse study, pointing to the bioactive flavonoid’s therapeutic potential, according to researchers in Taiwan.
Eating three to four servings of vegetables daily is associated with a lower incidence of psychological stress in women, but it has less of an impact on men, new research by University of Sydney academics revealed.
New Zealand supplement and health food manufacturers are likely targets for merger and acquisition activity over the next year, with private equity firms, notably from China, increasingly looking to splash the cash.
Fish oil supplier SeaDragon has revealed it expects to report an annual loss of up to NZ$4.5m, due to a longer than expected transition time from its legacy Omega-2 business to Omega-3 fish oil produced by its new $10m refinery.
A number public policy, health and community measures have been identified by researchers in Australia to help reduce rising obesity rates among child immigrants.
New meta-analysis suggests that vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for TB, not something that is caused by the condition, while the role played by ethnicity in this relationship merits further investigation.
Industry and academic experts have been responding to Australia’s decision to establish a legal medicinal cannabis trade – with most welcoming it as a positive first step – while others are eagerly awaiting a judgement in April which will rule if hemp...