Attorney: ‘I see all these emails saying once the farm bill passes CBD is legal in all 50 states—that’s just not true’

​TOP STORY
Attorney: ‘I see all these emails saying once the farm bill passes CBD is legal in all 50 states—that’s just not true’
​There is good news in the impending farm bill for industrial hemp—which will be removed from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act—but this does not suddenly make the on-trend ingredient CBD (cannabidiol) legal in foods, beverages and supplements, stressed attorney Justin Prochnow of UNPA member Greenberg Traurig. Prochnow and other legal experts offer their insights on the new legislation. Read more→

LEGISLATION
Senate farm bill axes 'mean-spirited'restrictions to SNAP proposed by House and expand coverage
Public health advocates are lauding the $876 billion farm bill passed by an overwhelming majority of the Senate on Tuesday for rejecting controversial proposals in the House version of the bill that would have significantly curtailed access to the nation’s Supplemental Nutrition Association Program.
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Experts weigh in on financial impact of hemp-friendly farm bill
Several experts predict passage of the farm bill will unleash a wave of institutional investments in the hemp and CBD industries.

REGULATORY
FDA commissioner announces formation of dietary supplement working group
As UNPA reported yesterday, FDA’s top official on Wednesday announced a new working group within his agency to improve oversight of the dietary supplement industry. UNPA's Frank Lampe and Loren Israelsen express support for as well as concerns about Commissioner Gottlieb's comments.
Additional coverage: FDA's Gottlieb announces plan to look at new regulations; stakeholders say they're willing to listen

FINANCIALS
4Life reports record-breaking sales for November
4Life President and CEO Danny Lee announced that the company’s sales for November 2018 were higher than any other November in the company’s 20-year history. In addition to posting 52 percent growth for the month, Eurasia’s sales are up 47 percent year-to-date. November is typically a slow month for direct selling companies, he said, “but 4Life distributors are achieving success at an exciting rate.”

Wholesaler UNFI beset by earnings miss, balky acquisition
Stock traders pummeled supplements and natural foods wholesaler UNFI after the company missed earning projections and admitted a harder-than-expected integration of a recent acquisition.

GLOBAL REGULATORY
Proposals for harmonized probiotics guidelines stay on CODEX agenda
The CODEX Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses will continue to explore work on harmonized probiotic guidelines despite opposition from some delegations and industry trade associations.

CODEX Nutrition Committee proposed new process to deal with nutrition rule variations
The CODEX Alimentarius Committee on Nutrition will address the demands of regulating the global trade in nutrition products by developing a prioritization process to address the excessive workload.

EFSA unable to determine MgCM bioavailability in food supplements
The European and Food Safety Authority (EFSA) state that magnesium citrate malate (MgCM) is a bioavailable magnesium source but cannot verify the extent of its bioavailability in food supplements.

DIRECT SELLING
Direct Selling Association announces support for S.3 to protect consumers
The Direct Selling Association announced its support for S. 3, consumer protection legislation introduced by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. The legislation will help consumers avoid illegal scams and provide definitive guidance to direct selling companies in the industry on acceptable, ethical business practices.

ANTI-AGING
Dr. Bruce Ames: The role of vitamins in healthy aging has been less appreciated
There is compelling evidence linking adequate consumption of 30 known vitamins and minerals with longevity, according to renowned nutrition scientist Bruce Ames, Ph.D., of the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute.

RETAIL
Whole Foods rolls out more small stores under new brand
Whole Foods Market Inc. has been steadily opening its smaller, more utilitarian “365” locations for a little over two years now. These stores emphasize the company’s lower-cost 365 Everyday Value brand and have fewer services than your average Whole Foods. The company has also been criticized for its packaging in its hot-food bars, which ranked low in a recent study. The company is currently on the lookout for better alternatives.

APAC MARKET
Trade literacy and NPD: Blackmores outlines key ambitions as sole vitamin firm in China alliance
Blackmores wants to strengthen trade relations, improve public health literacy and drive new product development (NPD) in China, banking on its position in the China International Import Expo Enterprise Alliance to help achieve this goal.

A truly landmark year: Australian supplements industry reflects on research, regulations and trade gains in 2018
Reflecting on the year that’s been, it is interesting to see how much has changed in the complementary medicines industry in Australia in such a short time, noted Carl Gibson, CEO of Complementary Medicines Australia.

REGULATORY
FDA isn’t alone in targeting male-enhancement products laced with drugs
A company selling male-enhancement products has devised a strategy to target competing products adulterated with undeclared drugs: sue the retailers that sell them.

HEMP/CBD
Adherence to GMPs boost cannabinoid company’s compliance
One player in the cannabinoid-product space is seeking to differentiate itself based on its ‘compliance.’ An official at BBB Labs, based in Boulder, Colo., uses this term to refer to the company’s GMP-compliant manufacturing operation.

SUPPLY CHAIN
Supplement industry must stake a claim in climate-change debate
Can the dietary supplement industry make a difference in the global climate debate? The industry’s footprint is tiny but experts say it can still make a valuable contribution toward a more livable planet.

MEDIA WATCH
No one cared about last week’s memory supplement investigation. Why?
An investigation into memory supplements requested by outgoing Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., garnered little media attention for several reasons, insiders say. It’d be a mistake to construe that the media has lost its appetite for attacking supplements, but as a media-coverage case study, some interesting notes stand out.

Is it safe to use essential oils?
Essential oils sold through multi-level marketing companies are often touted as a cure to a range of ailments when used topically or internally. Unfortunately, essential oils may be a lot less innocuous than you think. 

Vitamin treatment for sepsis is put to the test
Jonathan Sevransky, M.D., was intrigued when he heard that a well-known physician in Virginia had reported remarkable results from a simple treatment for sepsis. Could the leading cause of death in hospitals really be treated with intravenous vitamin C, the vitamin thiamine and doses of steroids?

NYT runs belated obituary of ethnobotanist James Duke
The New York Times recently published a belated obituary for renowned ethnobotanist James Duke, having only just learned of his death in December 2017. The tribute notes Duke’s field work, incorporating botany, natural healing and anthropology, which took him to remote corners of the world, often in the company of native guides and even shamans.

SPORTS NUTRITION
Why supplement companies should stop ignoring HIIT trend
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is the hottest thing in sports, but the nutrition industry isn’t targeting the trend with products.

New research on curcumin’s health benefits for sports
Sports nutrition is an up-and-coming benefit sector for curcumin, due to its potential to reduce inflammation and soreness after exercise.

UNPA MEMBER NEWS
Capstone Nutrition wins Utah Manufacturer of the Year award 
Capstone Nutrition, a contract manufacturers of health and dietary supplements, has received the 2018 Utah Manufacturer of the Year Award from the Utah Manufacturer's Association. The UMA selected Capstone for its “outstanding vision, starting and ending with culture.” The award recognizes the tremendous effort of the Capstone team to embrace its cultural values, said CEO Jared Leishman.

Sabinsa Japan signs MOU with Japan external trade organization
Sabinsa Japan Corporation, a division of the Sami-Sabinsa Group, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Japan External Trade Organization to support Sabinsa’s expansion in Japan. The MOU was signed during the recent 13th India-Japan Annual Summit in Tokyo, held between the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, and the prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe.  

MegaFood names Dr. Tieraona Low Dog as chief medical advisor
MegaFood announced that it has named award-winning integrative medical physician, Tieraona Low Dog, M.D., chief medical advisor for its two vitamin and dietary supplement brands, MegaFood and INNATE Response. Low Dog will leverage her expertise as an internationally recognized expert in the fields of integrative medicine, herbal medicine, and dietary supplementation to act as the company's medical executive, ultimately driving increased awareness and advocacy for the company's whole foods-based value proposition.

Susan Winckler named to chair USP board of trustees
USP announced that Susan C. Winckler, R.Ph., J.D., has been elected chair of its board of trustees. Winckler has served as a member-at-large on the USP board since 2015. She is currently president of Leavitt Partners Solutions and chief risk management officer for the Leavitt Partners family of businesses.

Nutrition Business Journal end-of-year sale
Prices lowered on subscriptions, reports and data sets, with UNPA members receiving an additional 5 percent off the already discounted prices. See items on sale at nutritionbusinessjournal.com or reach out to Cindy Van Schouwen at cvanschouwen@newhope.com.  Mention the special UNPA member offer to receive the additional discount.

MOU PARTNER NEWS
ABC’s Gayle Engels to receive inaugural award for excellence in herbal education
American Botanical Council Special Projects Director Gayle Engels will receive The Herb Society of America’s (HSA) inaugural Madalene Hill Award for Excellence in Herbal Education at the HSA’s Educational Conference and Annual Meeting of Members in Madison, Wisc., next June.

SUSTAINABILITY
No such thing as sustainable palm oil—‘certified can destroy even more wildlife,' scientists say
Experts have found that palm-oil forests that have been certified as sustainable are facing even worse destruction than non-certified land. The sustainability labels have allowed “even greater expansions of plantations that are driving orangutans towards extinction in Southeast Asia and destroying natural carbon-absorbing rainforests.”

INNOVATION
Digital diabetes? Nutrition-tech collaborations could make a huge difference in the future
Investment from the nutrition sector combined with data and connectivity from digital health firms could have a mighty impact on diabetes management and prevention, says the co-founder of mySugr.

OMEGA-3s
EPA and DHA omega-3s: Reflections on 2018
New science, developments in contamination regulations, a new conversation about micro- and nanoplastics and challenges on the regulatory front: Ellen Schutt, executive director of GOED, looks back on a very busy 2018 in the omega-3 space.

MARKET RESEARCH
U.S. prebiotic supplements market poised to reach $400 million by 2020; Consumer understanding has a long way to go
The Global Prebiotic Association (GPA) has announced prebiotic-market-sizing data from its collaborative effort with Nutrition Business Journal and the NEXT Trends Database, which has determined that the U.S. prebiotic-only supplement market is estimated to reach nearly $400 million by 2020. The data from New Hope's NEXT Trends database indicated that the growth in the number of prebiotic products introduced at Natural Products Expo West grew 118 percent from 2016 to 2018.

Nielsen: Millennials value health and CSR
If you want to attract and retain millennial shoppers, you need to know what’s most valuable to them and how they gather information. Although that can be an arduous task, research firm Nielsen recently shed some light on this generation’s purchasing patterns with a new report entitled “Millennials on Millennials: U.S. Shopping Insights In a New Era.”

Seven things you should know about Gen Z
Who is the next generation to follow millennials and why do they matter to your business? The simple fact that their numbers exceed any generation before them is noteworthy, not to mention their spending power. Looking to get their attention? Here's how.

RESEARCH
Probiotics supplementation eases constipation pain, but ineffective for treatment success
Probiotic supplementation may alleviate certain constipation pain in children, but has no significant impact on the success of the actual treatment, according to a Chinese systematic review at Shanghai Hudong Hospital.

Omega-3s don’t increase bleeding with surgery, study finds
Omega-3s do not increase perioperative bleeding in surgery, but rather are associated with lessened risk of bleeding, according to a new study from the Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota.

Microencapsulation technology shows promise in weight-management applications
A microencapsulated nutrient mixture designed to release in the distal small intestine has a significant effect on food intake and satiety, according to a double-blind, randomized, crossover proof-of-concept study that was recently published in Nutrients.

Pycnogenol alleviates symptoms of benign prostatic hypertrophy
Horphag Research recently announced the results of a new study that demonstrated its French maritime pine bark extract Pycnogenol’s ability to ease symptoms of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), a condition that half of men experience by age 60 and that over 90 percent experience by age 80. Symptoms of BPH include straining while urinating and frequent urination.

FDA WARNING LETTERS & GUIDANCES
Current FDA enforcement actions and guidances
Keep up to date on FDA's current enforcement actions, including general warning letters, recall information and GMP compliance issues, with this link to FDA's website. 

Search and sign up for a variety of FDA Guidances.