Across the Nutra-verse: NDIs for CBD, pre-workout sports supplements, and more

05-Aug-2019 - Last updated on 05-Aug-2019 at 12:56 GMT

It’s a global industry and there’s a lot happening. We know it’s not always easy keeping up with everything that’s happening around the world. The answer? Our weekly round-up of key news from across the globe.

USA

Ex-FDA commissioners calls for NDI Notifications for CBD

In an editorial in the Washington Post, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said the CBD craze is getting out of hand and the agency needs to act quickly on CBD. Dr Gottlieb stressed that FDA must not compromise on its mission of safety in doing so.

“Many of the compound’s expansive benefits are fanciful, and in fact, the sale of much of the product is illegal under current law,” Gottlieb wrote.

As a solution, Dr Gottlieb said the FDA should require NDI Notifications or food additive petitions from companies that want to market the ingredient in foods or dietary supplements. Doing so would put the burden on industry to prove the safety of the substance.

Gottlieb said a process of reviewing individual products via NDI submissions could ease the regulatory logjam on CBD while a more permanent, overarching solution is worked out. He acknowledged that will be a multi-year process, and might not address the current situation quickly enough.

“These are the same standards any new food ingredients are held to. Congress can help by passing language saying that the FDA doesn’t need to issue a broad regulation on CBD and can instead rely on petitions filed by individual, prospective producers,” he said.

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Europe

Lumina Intelligence report shows pre-workout blend benefits extend beyond sports into mainstream

The potential of pre-workout blends (PWBs) remain untapped, according to a new report by Lumina Intelligence, a data service offered by William Reed – the parent company of NutraIngredients-LATAM.

Lumina’s latest report identifies over 200 brands in the PWB space that use active ingredients linked to other health benefits extending the scope beyond sports nutrition towards other sectors.

“Love them or hate them, pre-workout blends are one of the cornerstones of the sports nutrition industry, and just as with protein, they are beginning to expand out of their sports-centric niche,” said Lumina senior market analyst Tom Morgan

“We’re finding products launching for e-gamers and the common folk on the street, positioned not just for muscle pumps, but also for brain kicks and overall wellbeing,” he added.

The PWB king of ingredients is caffeine as the report finds 73% of PWBs containing the stimulant at some level present in either caffeine anhydrous form extracted from coffee plant leaves and seeds or as a component of another ingredient like green tea.

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Asia

Coca-Cola India enters sports drinks category with new hydration beverage

Coca-Cola India has launched its first-ever beverage targeting sports hydration under the Powerade brand.

Sports hydration is recognized as a nascent category in India, and this launch was motivated by a ‘surge in consumer interest in sports, ubiquitous smart wearable technology, establishment of new sports leagues and rise of new age fitness centers’.

Anoop Manohar, Coca-Cola India Director of Emerging Categories, said: “[Our] research has shown that a growing population of sports and fitness enthusiasts in India are looking for evolved hydration solutions that help them perform better. Powerade is a global sports hydration brand [which] fuels fitness and sports enthusiasts, and helps them push their limits.”

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