The Reagan Administration created an uproar with its declaration (later restricted) that Ketchup would be considered a vegetable as far as school lunches were concerned. The incident is brought to mind by the recent decision by the British Dietetic Association (BDA) to allow Heinz U.K. to emblazon 70 of its canned products with the BDA’s “Give me 5” logo. “Give me 5” is a campaign to get the British to eat more fruits and vegetables. Under this program, one serving of any of the following Heinz products is considered the equivalent of one serving of a fruit or vegetable: Baked Beans Sausage Casserole, Baked Beans with Pork Sausages, Butt Ugly Martians Pasta Shapes, Hoops ‘n Hotdogs, London Grill in Tomato Sauce, Pokemon Mini Sausages, Thomas the Tank Engine Pasta in Tomato Sauce and Big Soup Minted Lamb Hotpot. Half a can of Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup counts as two portions of vegetables…”
FunctionalFoodWire.com, 4/30/02

Imagine being diagnosed with cancer, dealing with the stresses and side effects of chemotherapy and, not surprisingly, feeling depressed. Instead of talking to a doctor, a distressing number of people in that situation are treating themselves with dietary supplements, and in the process may be destroying their chances of beating cancer. The supplement of choice is St. John’s Wort, an herbal remedy extracted from weedy ornamental plants that for centuries has been used for the blues. The booming unregulated dietary supplement industry touts it aggressively. But a medical study presented in April found that St. John’s Wort appears to interfere with some of the most common anti-cancer drugs. For one commonly used drug, effectiveness was cut by 40% even three weeks after the patient stopped taking the supplement…
Troubling Side Effects Mount, USA Today Op/Ed article, 4/16/02

“A new clinical study shows that a pure mineral supplement widely used in Europe and growing in popularity in America can dramatically improve the condition of women’s finger nails. In a 26-week study conducted by an independent laboratory and commissioned by Abkit, New York, NY, women ranging in age from 25 to 72 were either given a gel form of silica or a placebo of purified water to evaluate the effectiveness of this nutritional supplement in improving the condition of nails in individuals with poor nails. Study evaluators reported a statistically significant improvement in the smoothness of nails with less peeling, brittleness and cracking.”
Abkit press release, 4/22/02

“Manufacturers of vitamin C products in China are facing a crisis as over expansion of production capacities keep dragging down market prices, making it increasingly harder to turn a profit…Frequent price wars left only four viable manufacturers in the country…”
Financial Times Information Limited; Asia Africa Intelligence Wire, 4/18/02