The company says that its product will boost testosterone levels by 10,000%. The plaintiffs says the product is snake oil marked up to $70 a package.

The Food & Drug Administration issued on May 1 a consumer warning to stop using Hydroxycut, the heavily marketed weight-loss product. The agency said that "some Hydroxycut products are associated with a number of serious liver injuries" and announced that the maker was recalling all products.

  The FDA has just announced a massive recall of the popular weight loss supplement, Hydroxycut. According to the FDA press release dated today, FDA has received 23 reports of serious health problems ranging from jaundice and elevated liver enzymes, an indicator of potential liver injury, to liver damage requiring liver transplant.

The old saying that news travels fast and bad news travels faster could apply to the latest recall of dietary supplements. The Food & Drug Administration found sibutramine in almost three dozen weight-loss products distributed by Universal ABC Beauty Supply International Inc.

The recent recalls of peanuts and pistachios brings to mind public concerns about the safety of all foods, including nutritional supplements. There's good reason to be worried, if a recent report on Chinese slimming capsules is accurate.

Canada.com reports that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has raised concerns over elk antler velvet, a common ingredient used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and many supplement products. 

The New York Times reported this week what many of us in the supplement industry have observed for some time, namely that despite the difficult economic times supplement sales have been somewhat immune to the worldwide economic downturn.

Let the grant writing begin. The National Institutes for Health has been among the big winners in the American Recovery Act, a.k.a. the economic stimulus package.

When it comes to dietary supplements, it's like the Wild West, and the bad guys know they don’t have to take the sheriff seriously. Industry and consumer voices are split in their interpretations of a GAO report on how the FDA should regulate dietary supplements.

Looking to promote the safety of your product? Tout the fact that your children's bath and shampoo products do not contain formaldehyde. In a recent test, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found 23 children's bath products that that may cause cancer and skin allergies.

QVC has agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it made false and unsubstantiated claims about three types of dietary supplements in violation of an FTC order, and about an anti-cellulite skin cream in violation of the FTC Act.

If you were at Natural Products Supply Expo West, you were probably impressed with the number of competitors. There were hundreds of companies with nutritional supplements, organic products and "fill-in-the-blank"-free fragrances.

The popular view that supplements contribute to nutrition got a boost from a study published by the American Dietetic Association. In the March issue of the ADA's journal, scientists based in Seattle, Atlanta and Minneapolis found that supplements help middle-aged and older Americans meet their daily intake requirements.

According to the Associated Press, President Barack Obama intends to name former New York City Health Commissioner Margaret Hamburg to lead the troubled Food and Drug Administration. 

Because Coca-Cola Co. and partner Nestle by were unable to substantiate claims that Enviga causes weight loss, the beverage has lightened the pockets of both companies by $650,000.

Two contributors to this blog, Vincent Annunziata and Hugo Ottolenghi, are participating in Nutracon, March 5-7. They will be at the CANI exhibit on Friday and Saturday from noon to 2 p.m.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has adopted a scientific opinion (summary also available) on two ingredients commonly used in so-called energy drinks. Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA’s Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS) concluded that exposure to taurine and d-glucuronolactone through regular consumption of energy drinks was not of safety concern.

Jared Wheat (pictured, left), CEO and founder of Atlanta supplement maker Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals, was sentenced to 50 months in jail earlier this month for illegally selling prescription drugs online.

A swimmer who missed the Olympics says she doesn't have a drug problem: A Texas supplement company does.  Jessica Hardy claims in a lawsuit that AdvoCare International Co.

Companies keen on product development will likely get a boost from the compromise version of the stimulus bill that the House was set to vote on Friday.