14-24IndustryNews0810.

qxd:NUTWORLD 2009 Industry News

6/24/10

10:26 AM

Page 18

Industry News

Danone To Acquire Medical Nutrition USA

In a $62 million deal, France-based Danone has signed an agreement to acquire Medical Nutrition USA, Inc. (MNI). MNI introduced the concept of liquid protein supplements for elderly people in the U.S. long-term care market in 2003. Today, the companys flagship range of products addresses protein supplementation and wound care support. MNIs organization and portfolio of products will become part of Danones Medical Nutrition division. Danones North American Medical Nutrition business, Nutricia North America, is headquartered in Rockville, MD, and its sales amounted to $70 million in 2009. The benefit of this transaction relies in the strong complementarities both in terms of product ranges and channels of distribution. MNI has developed access to the long-term care channel while Nutricias products in the U.S. are mainly aimed at infants and distributed in pharmacies.

NIH-Sponsored Workshop Provides Guidelines for Soy Research

Participants in a workshop sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have developed guidelines on designing and evaluating clinical research studies investigating soy, representing the first guidelines of their kind in the field of soy research. The guidelines were published in the June 2010 issue of The Journal of Nutrition. They represent a tool for increasing the consistency of study design and validity of outcomes in future clinical research on soy. Past results of clinical studies on soy have been inconsistent and difficult to compare, which could be attributed to a number of factors, including varying product composition and dosing, study adherence and sample size. The new guidelines are intended to improve the quality of future research studies of soy. The soy research guidelines address: the need for sound justification for studying the health effects of soy in humans; approaches to

understanding and ensuring product composition and integrity; methods for assessing exposure to non-study soy and intervention adherence; some appropriate analytical methods to test soy products; the importance of understanding how soy is processed and how it acts in the body; and the role that genetic make-up may play in the health effects of soy.

Medicaid Patients Turn to Alternative Treatments

Older Americans on Medicaid are increasingly frustrated with budget cuts and poor healthcare. As a result, more people are relying on alternative treatments, including all-natural arthritis and joint pain supplementsespecially in states considered below average for Medicaid coverage and benefitsaccording to Flexcin International, Fort Myers, FL, which analyzed customer data for its arthritis supplement, Flexcin with CM8. The company compared its data with information published by the

FTC Issues Stronger Order Against Kellogg

Kellogg Company, Battle Creek, MI, has agreed to new advertising restrictions to resolve an FTC investigation into questionable immunity-related claims for Rice Krispies cereal. This is the second time in the last year that FTC has taken action against the company. Kellogg has agreed to expand a settlement order that was reached last year after the FTC alleged the company made false claims that its Frosted Mini-Wheats cereal was clinically shown to improve kids attentiveness by nearly 20%. At about the same time that Kellogg agreed to stop making these kinds of claims in its cereal ads, the company began a new advertising campaign promoting the purported health benefits of Rice Krispies, according to the FTC. On product packaging, Kellogg claimed that Rice Krispies cereal now helps support your childs immunity, with 25 percent Daily Value of Antioxidants and Nutrients Vitamins A, B, C, and E. The back of the cereal box stated that Kelloggs Rice Krispies has been improved to include antioxidants and nutrients that your family needs to help them stay healthy. Under the original settlement order covering Frosted MiniWheats, Kellogg was barred from making claims about the benefits to cognitive health, process or function provided by any cereal or any morning food or snack food unless the claims were true and substantiated. The expanded order against Kellogg pro-

hibits the company from making claims about any health benefit of any food unless the claims are backed by scientific evidence and not misleading. We expect more from a great American company than making dubious claims not once, but twicethat its cereals improve childrens health, said FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz. Next time, Kellogg needs to stop and think twice about the claims its making before rolling out a new ad campaign, so parents can make the The expanded order against Kellogg best choices for their prohibits it from making claims unless children. properly substantiated and not misleading.

18 Nutraceuticals World

www.nutraceuticalsworld.com

July/August 2010

Copyright of Nutraceuticals World is the property of Rodman Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.