NNFA sent out an email alert yesterday with updated information on ephedra. The association said that this update was prompted by recent seizures by FDA of dietary supplement products containing ephedrine alkaloids.

Dateline, my home town, Boca Raton, Florida, which, previously unknown to me, is home to a kava bar called Nakava where this root of the pepper plant is served up as "horrible tasting" tea to thirsty college students at nearby Florida Atlantic University, so says USA TODAY.

  Earlier this year, legislators in California proposed a new law that would set up a universal healthcare system in the state, similar to the Canadian system.

We told you about the last teleseminar here. Well, the NNFA is doing it again, but the call is limited to the first 200 NNFA member companies to respond.

Scott Bass, counsel to the NNFA, and head of the International Food and Drug Law Practice at Sidley Austin Brown & Wood has penned an excellent article about the current state of the nutritional supplement industry.

In what appears to be the first enforcement action since last year's ephedra ban, the US Marshalls, working with the FDA, has seized 2634 bottles of "Nature's Treat Energy Plus #1 from Nature's Treat, Inc.

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) and NPIcenter have collaborated to create a subcription database to access all notifications the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received for new dietary ingredients (NDIs).

For many years, the large supplement maker Twinlab has maintained it owns a family of trademarks for nutrition, vitamin and mineral supplements using the word FUEL as the second word in the mark.

Heaven Sent Naturals, makers of the Elexia nutritional supplements for male and female sexual enhancement sold at GNC Stores has sued the makers of Trojan condoms for trademark infringement in connection with Trojan’s new line of Elexa condoms and sexual enhancement products.

Basing its decision in large part on the determination that a "dietary supplement smoothie" is "legally identical" (the TTAB's term, not mine) to a nutritional supplement, the TTAB has affirmed a refusal to register ISLAND NUTRITION on likelihood of confusion grounds with the previously registered ISLAND BERRIES.

In a complaint filed last week in federal court in California, Salu, Inc., the owner of the popular cosmeceutical site SkinStore.com has sued the owners of competitor NewSkinSpa.com

Supplement maker Vital Pharmaceuticals, Inc., manufacturer of the Redline RTD energy drink, recently filed suit against Red Bull GmbH, manufacturer of the popular Red Bull energy drink.

Two interesting items from the latest NNFA Supplement email worth noting: NNFA Testifies Regarding Health Claims NNFA Executive Director and CEO David Seckman testified that health claims on product labels can benefit both consumers and industry at a November 16, 2005 public meeting in Washington, D.C.

The AHPA is sponsoring what looks like a great seminar on the new food allergen labeling requirements we previously discussed on Nutrisuplaw here. It looks like a great lineup.

Well, they say that if it appears in the NY Times, it has officially "arrived." And so it appears that nutritional supplement use by athletes has, on this day in history, found its place in the pages of the paper of record.

Are government regulators surfing the internet in their spare time looking for supplement makers and marketers violating federal advertising and labeling laws? The answer is yes.

The FDA has denied a petition by supplement maker American Longevity for approval of qualified health claims concerning cancer fighting properties of lycopene, an antioxydant found in red fruits like tomatoes and watermelon.

In a case of first impression under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia has held that restitution is available as a remedy and may be ordered against companies that violate the Act.

Excellent article in the NY Times on the entry of large food companies into the organic foods business. The article mentions the First Circuit's decision in Harvey v.

The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the NIH has released the Annual Bibliography of Significant Advances in Dietary Supplement Research. The press release summarizes this resource: This sixth issue of the Bibliography includes abstracts of the 25 most noteworthy dietary supplement research papers published in 2004, as judged by an international team of reviewers.