Natural Newswire

FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford Resigns

Silver Spring, MD, September 23 /Natural Newswire/ -- Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Lester Crawford resigned this afternoon, just two months after being named full commissioner in July. He had served as Acting Commissioner for all but 16 months since the Bush administration first appointed him to that role in February 2002.

The Associated Press reported the resignation, effective immediately, noting that it was a surprise. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt accepted Crawford's resignation "with sadness," said department spokeswoman Christina Pearson. "We thank him for his service and wish him well."

Asked if he was forced to resign, Pearson declined further comment, calling it a personnel issue.

The Secretary did not immediately name an acting director of FDA, or a new candidate for the top post.


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The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) is the national trade association and voice of the herbal supplement industry, the only trade association devoted solely to herbal issues. AHPA is the recognized leader in representing the responsible center of the botanical trade, and is comprised of the finest growers, processors, manufacturers and marketers of herbal products. AHPA’s mission is to promote the responsible commerce of herbal products. AHPA committees generate self-regulations to ensure the highest level of responsibility with respect to the way herbs are manufactured, labeled and sold. Website: www.ahpa.org

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Contact: Karen Robin, Director of Communications
American Herbal Products Association
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Telephone: (301) 588-1171, x-107
Email: KRobin@ahpa.org
Website: www.ahpa.org

AHPA Files Further Comments with FDA on NDI Process

Silver Spring, MD, September 23 /Natural Newswire/ -- Making a distinction between new dietary ingredients (NDIs) that are unprocessed and those in the form of “semi-purified” extracts, the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) submitted additional comments today to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on how FDA ought to address NDIs.

AHPA expressed its position that, in the case of an unprocessed herb or botanical, a single complete NDI notification is sufficient, “and that there should be no requirement for any other distributor of exactly the same botanical … to submit a separate notification.”

By “unprocessed,” AHPA describes botanical ingredients that have had only minimal post-harvest processing, limited to cleaning, dehydration, and size reduction (i.e., milling).

Higher Consumption of Some Soy Products, Grains, Vegetables and Fruits Associated With Reduced Risk of Lung Cancer

Media Advisory: To contact corresponding author Margaret R. Spitz, M.D., M.P.H., call Laura Sussman at 832-264-8893. To contact editorial co-author Lawrence J. Dacey, M.D., M.S., call Deborah Kimbell at 603-653-1913.

CHICAGO /Natural Newswire/ -- A diet higher in plant-derived compounds known as phytoestrogens is linked with a lower lung cancer risk, according to a study in the September 28 issue of JAMA.

Phytoestrogens are plant-derived nonsteroidal compounds found in soy products, grains, carrots, spinach, broccoli, and other fruits and vegetables, according to background information in the article. They have weak estrogen-like activity. The three main classes of phytoestrogens are isoflavones, lignans, and cumestrans. A fourth group of plant-derived steroidal compounds believed to have estrogenic properties are the phytosterols. Phytoestrogens have been shown to have a protective effect against some solid tumors, but there has been little epidemiologic research focused on dietary intake of phytoestrogens and lung cancer risk.

New AHPA FDA Inspection Guidance Available

Silver Spring, MD, Sept 21 /Natural Newswire/-- AHPA’s Guidance for Addressing FDA Inspections of Dietary Supplement Facilities is now available for purchase from AHPA’s online bookstore. The Guidance will help companies understand their rights and obligations when the FDA inspects a facility where dietary supplements or ingredients are manufactured, processed, packed, or held. It provides descriptions and analyses of the current federal laws relevant to facility inspections and suggests ways to prepare for and conduct inspections in a manner that fully complies with these laws.

The Guidance is presented in four sections:

* Part 1 reviews FDA’s inspection authority, based on the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and the Bioterrorism Act.
* Part 2 provides suggestions for advance preparation for an FDA inspection.
* Part 3 covers what should be expected during an FDA inspection.
* Part 4 discusses the observational findings that follow an inspection and maintaining a thorough internal record of each inspection.

The Guidance also includes a “standard operating procedure” (SOP) template that companies can customize to their specific needs to establish a written SOP for FDA inspections. Copies of the current laws that form the primary basis upon which most inspections are conducted are also provided.

This new AHPA Guidance is now available at AHPA’s online bookstore at a cost of $110 for AHPA members, $195 for non-members: http://www.ahpa.org/bookstore.htm.

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The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) is the national trade association and voice of the herbal supplement industry, the only trade association devoted solely to herbal issues. AHPA is the recognized leader in representing the responsible center of the botanical trade, and is comprised of the finest growers, processors, manufacturers and marketers of herbal products. AHPA’s mission is to promote the responsible commerce of herbal products. AHPA committees generate self-regulations to ensure the highest level of responsibility with respect to the way herbs are manufactured, labeled and sold. Website: www.ahpa.org

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Contact: Karen Robin, Director of Communications
American Herbal Products Association
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Telephone: (301) 588-1171, x-107
Email: KRobin@ahpa.org
Website: www.ahpa.org

Health Supplement Industry Challenges FDA to Enforce Laws Against Steroids in Supplements; Leading Trade Associations Strongly Encourage Athletes to Identify Suspect Brands

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 /Natural Newswire/ -- Representatives of the nation's leading dietary supplement manufacturers urge athletes who allege that positive tests for steroids are due to contaminated supplements to release the names of the purportedly injurious products and the analytical results on which their allegations are based. Citing existing federal laws that make the presence of undeclared and illegal ingredients in health supplements subject to criminal action by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the three organizations -- AHPA, NNFA, UNPA -- ask the FDA to act promptly to investigate any identified product and move forward as appropriate.

The industry contends that products that contain steroids, even if they are labeled as "dietary supplements," are illegal drugs that are masquerading as legitimate supplements in the face of inadequate enforcement. An estimated 70 percent of American consumers enjoy the health benefits of a wide array of herbal remedies and dietary supplements, manufactured by an industry that takes very seriously its commitment to the health of its customers and the quality of its products.

Stop the Sneak Attack in Congress on Organic Standards

The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) needs your immediate help to stop Congress and the Bush administration from seriously degrading organic standards. After 35 years of hard work, the U.S. organic community has built up a multi-billion dollar alternative to industrial agriculture, based upon strict organic standards and organic community control over modification to these standards.

Now, large corporations such as Kraft, Wal-Mart, & Dean Foods--aided and abetted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are moving to lower organic standards by allowing a Bush appointee to create a list of synthetic ingredients that would be allowed organic production. Even worse these proposed regulatory changes will reduce future public discussion and input and take away the National Organic Standards Board’s (NOSB) traditional lead jurisdiction in setting standards. What this means, in blunt terms. is that USDA bureaucrats and industry lobbyists, not consumers, will now have more control over what can go into organic foods and products. (Send a quick letter to your Congressperson online here)

FDA Publishes Guidance for Bioterrorism Recordkeeping Requirements

Silver Spring, MD - (NATURAL NEWSWIRE) - In the September 12 Federal Register, FDA announced the publication of a guidance document on the recordkeeping requirements of the Bioterrorism Act. Among other things, that act (formally known as the Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002) requires that companies that “manufacture, process, pack, transport, distribute, receive, hold, or import food,” including dietary supplements, keep certain records and have them available “to allow for the identification of the immediate previous sources and the immediate subsequent recipients of food.” The intent of this requirement to enable the FDA to trace products quickly in the event that there is a reasonable belief that an article of food is adulterated and presents a public health threat.

USDA Secretary Asked to Clean Up Organic Mess

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Mark Kastel 608-625-2042

Washington: - (NATURAL NEWSWIRE) - A letter today addressed to USDA Secretary Mike Johannes, from one of the nation’s most aggressive organic food and farming watchdogs, asked the Secretary to personally intervene in rebuilding the once promising collaborative environment that existed between the organic community and its regulators.

In its letter, the Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based farm policy research group, called the current working relationship between the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) and industry stakeholders, farmers, consumers, and processors “very unhealthy” and asked that Secretary Johanns intercede, bringing in new management from outside of the Department, to correct what the group has previously labeled a poisoned environment.

Fair Trade Certified™ White Tea from Choice Organic Teas

Seattle, WA –(NATURAL NEWSWIRE)- The only way to improve great tasting organic White Tea is to add Fair Trade certification. A pioneering, exclusively organic tea-crafter has done just that. Choice Organic Teas proudly introduces organic Fair Trade Certified™ White Tea to US consumers, available this October in tea bags and loose leaf. This new White Tea was developed at the request of Choice Organic Teas due to their long-term, mutually beneficial working relationship with their tea sources. This is the first Fair Trade Certified White Tea to reach US consumers in tea bag form.