Market Alerts

AHPA has published a revised version of the guidance document titled “Compliance with the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) for Marketers of Chinese Herbal Products” to include the requirements of the recently adopted Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research Act of 2021 (FASTER Act), which adds sesame to the list of major food allergens that require labeling in the United States. The new requirements in the FASTER Act amend the definition of “major food allergen” in FALCPA and take effect on January 1, 2023.

In this issue of the IADSA Newsflash:  China has issued three new technical guidelines related to health food; India is amending its supplement and food regulation; Korea has introduced some changes to its health functional Food Code; Australia has classified sports supplements under the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA); and more.

In this issue of the IADSA Newsflash:  France alerts consumers about food supplements with claims of curing or preventing COVID-19; Israel notifies WTO about revised limits for polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in food supplements; Brazil's new resolution mandating a label when food supplements have a new formulation; Ecuador issues rules for cannabis (hemp seed) supplements; and Peru has established a basic regulation governing health claims applicable to supplement products.

the four leading dietary supplement industry associations applaud Representative Kurt Schrader (D-OR) and Representative Morgan Griffith (R-VA), for introducing bipartisan legislation that would protect public health by providing legal clarity in the cannabidiol (CBD) product marketplace. The Hemp and Hemp derived CBD Consumer Protection and Market Stabilization Act of 2020 directs the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to use its authority and resources to set a clear regulatory framework for hemp and hemp derived CBD and assure consumer protection.

Over the last few days, the potential use of oleandrin for treatment of COVID-19 has received significant media attention. The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) strongly discourages sales or marketing of dietary supplements that contain any part of the oleander plant (Nerium oleander) or its constituent, oleandrin. AHPA also urges physical and online retailers to refrain from offering any such products for sale, and AHPA cautions consumers to avoid oral consumption of oleander or oleandrin.

This issue of the IADSA Newsflash covers Australia TGA reclassifies certain sports supplements to be regulated as medicines, South Africa down scheduled CBD to a category of complementary medicine, Korea has updated its functional food code to include ginseng as helpful to bone health and the European Commission (EC) acknowledges the potential to consider traditional use of botanicals in the efficacy assessment of health claims when traditional medicine products exist for botanicals used in foods.

Webinar presenters will address different approaches to sustainability self-assessment, discuss various sustainability standards, and how to create realistic science based targets, and present examples that will help companies of all sizes plan and execute meaningful self-assessments.

In comments submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), AHPA requests the agency to amend Phase VI of its import declarations enforcement schedule by removing “other” essential oils from the list of products covered under this phase.

AHPA President Michael McGuffin sent a letter to Congressional leaders in the U.S. House and Senate to request adequate federal funding be included in a fourth COVID-19 relief package to ensure the financial viability and continued operations of the United States Postal Service (USPS).

Webinar presenters explain ways to ensure your marketing claims for herbal immune support products are substantiated, truthful and not misleading. Industry experts review several methods they’ve used to ensure their dietary supplement product claims are well substantiated, including: randomized, controlled clinical trials on a well-known elderberry product; in vitro testing to support the legitimacy of the product; and the relevance of use and training in substantiating the effectiveness of traditional Chinese herbal formulations.