CBD is booming, but U.S. farmers struggle to keep up with demand

TOP STORY
CBD is booming, but U.S. farmers struggle to keep up with demand The current state of the supply chains for CBD products is, unfortunately, "riddled with issues." Farmers, who are unaccustomed to planting hemp and CBD on a large scale, are finding the process incredibly expensive and time-consuming; additionally, CBD's popularity is leading some distributors to cut corners and sell the ingredient without testing for potency (which isn't legally required yet). Read more→

UNPA NEWS
Expert Insights: Hemp & CBD insurance coverage update 
If you weren't able to attend the UNPA Expert Insights webinar yesterday, listen and watch the entire webinar at your convenience.

Registration now open for Preventive Controls Quality Individual training, June 26-28 
UNPA will conduct Preventive Controls Quality Individual (PCQI) training with a focus on hemp and other botanically derived ingredients, June 26-28, in Westminster/Denver, Colo. Registration is now open with a $100 early-bird discount through April 15.


The UNPA Retreat is less than a month away! Register today!
UNPA's annual members' retreat, April 30-May 2, in Charleston, S.C., is less than a month away, and the agenda has been updated with speakers. Are you registered?REGULATORY
Outgoing FDA chief says new CBD laws are preferred to regulationsRetiring FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., said last week that a rule-making process by FDA to deal with the booming—and controversial—CBD market would take more than three years to complete, and the most efficient way to deal with marijuana’s non-intoxicating cousin would be through legislation that would focus on CBD only.


FDA responses to supplement ingredient notices show improved success rateAlthough FDA has historically objected to the majority of new dietary ingredient notifications, agency data from the last fiscal year provides the supplement industry a reason to cheer. The agency acknowledged nearly half of all notifications for new dietary ingredients in supplements without objecting to the paperwork.


FDA grants Citizen Petition for dietary fiberFDA announced that it intends to propose that “cross-linked phosphorylated RS4”—regardless of source—be added to the definition of dietary fiber, in response to a Citizen Petition from MGP Ingredients Inc. The dietary fiber can now be declared on Nutrition and Supplement Facts labels as including certain naturally occurring fibers that are "intrinsic and intact" in plants and added isolated or synthetic non-digestible soluble and insoluble carbohydrates that FDA has determined have beneficial physiological effects to human health.
KIND is trying to change how products make claims about nutrientsKIND Health Snacks has filed a Citizen Petition urging FDA to “consider the overall quality of the food rather than just the quantity of a certain nutrient when regulating nutritional claims on packaging and advertising.” The petition aims to fundamentally change the way synthetic foods make nutrient content claims and market themselves to consumers and change the way the FDA considers products to be more holistic.LEGAL
Google accused of profiting from unproven dementia supplement adsGoogle stands accused of cashing in on unproven dementia supplements by selling advertising to retailers of “brain supplements,” flouting the search engine giant’s own advertising and promotion policies.
M&A ACTIVITY
Martin Bauer buys BI NutraceuticalsGlobal botanical firm Martin Bauer Group acquired California-based BI Nutraceuticals to boost its U.S. business. The alliance will also enhance the group’s product portfolio, flexibility and minimum order quantities in the supplements industry and beyond.
 Parent company of Shoppers plans sale of the Baltimore regional grocery chainExecutives at United Natural Foods Inc. plan to sell 36 Shoppers Food & Pharmacy stores in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area to an as-of-yet unknown buyer. The lack of clarity surrounding the timeline of the sale and future of the retail chain has rankled Shoppers employees, who are now uncertain about their continued employment. 
 Algaia undergoes shareholding restructure with Sapec purchaseFrench seaweed and algae specialist Algaia has announced that agro-business Sapec has purchased 31 percent of the firm’s shares from venture capitalists Demeter and Cap Decisif.HEMP/CBD
Louisiana ATC: CBD not legal in state; retailers to be citedThe Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control (ATC) issued an advisory notice specifying that state law prohibits any product to contain any level or trace amount of THC. The notice pointed to the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy Guidance Document regarding CBD oil, which sums up the state’s stance: “Is CBD (cannabidiol) oil legal under Louisiana law? No.”


Germany identified as future pacesetter in buoyant European CBD marketThe European cannabidiol market is set to blossom over the next four years, according to a market intelligence firm, which also predicts that Germany’s growth will outpace that of other EU countries.PARTNERSHIPS
DolCas BioTech and Tenshi Kaizen form jointventure to focus on nutraceutical developmentNutraceutical ingredient supplier DolCas BioTech has started a venture with India-based pharmaceutical and biotech company Tenshi Kaizen. The joint venture will focus exclusively on the research, development and commercialization of nutraceutical products.
 Algatech partners with personal care product firm for astaxanthin topicals in U.S. marketIsraeli astaxanthin supplier Algatech has announced a partnership with nascent topicals product producer For the Biome, which was founded by industry pioneer Paul Schulick.
 Nutralliance reaches exclusive distribution agreement with Ildong Biosciences’ probioticsNutralliance is now the exclusive sales and marketing partner for South Korean Ildong Biosciences’ probiotic line in the U.S. and Canada.GLOBAL REGULATORY
EC makes novel food specification changes to supplement ingredients and HMOThe European Commission is to implement regulation that authorized specification changes to the supplement ingredient coriander seed oil and human milk oligosaccharide (HMO) 2’-fucosyllactose.
 German pharma industry group presses EU to lay down the botanical lawGermany’s drug industry association BPI has urged the European Union to clarify the current situation in which botanical foods and supplements can make unapproved health claims.
 Puerto Rico launches probe into dietary supplement regulationsThe Puerto Rican commonwealth legislature has launched an investigation into what authorities it has to govern the dietary supplement industry and what federal structures are already in place that pertain to the category.OBITUARY
Former Whole Foods Magazine editor, Alan Richman, dies at age 79Alan Richman, a frequent contributor to Nutraceuticals Worldand former editor/associate publisher of Whole Foods Magazine, died on March 13. He received awards for his business writing, was proud to be a journalist and continued to write after his retirement.MLMs
Amway India raises awareness for herbal supplements as consumer acceptance bloomsAmway India is striving to promote the health benefits of traditional Indian herbs to consumers in the market, having recently conducted a series of seminars showcasing its Nutrilite Traditional Herbs range of supplements.
SPORTS NUTRITION
Opportunities abound in sports nutrition and energy productsWith close to 80 percent of sports nutrition users saying they’d use energy-enhancing products, companies have opportunity to succeed with condition-specific energy products in alternative formats, according to Natural Marketing Institute’s (NMI) 2018 Health & Wellness Trends Report. The segment is amidst a long-term growth trend unparalleled in recent consumer health history, according to Euromonitor International, and bolstered by an increasingly split market, including both core and lifestyle users.PROTEIN
There is a need for global harmonization of protein recommendations: IPB chiefScientific and technological advances, coupled with the increased consumer interest, means that there is a need to update and harmonize the recommendations for protein intakes around the globe, says the head of the International Protein Board.DELIVERY SYSTEMS
Delivery by design: How companies can approach delivery systems more rationallyWhile there has been an explosion of interest over colloidal delivery systems in recent years, there has also been a disconnect between primary research and commercialization, according to one expert, who believes a “delivery by design” approach could speed up industry adoption.POLICY
To curb kids’ sugary drink habits pediatricians now call for soda taxesTogether with the American Heart Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics has “endorsed a range of strategies designed to curb children’s consumption—including taxes on sugary drinks, limits on marketing sugary drinks to kids and financial incentives to encourage healthier beverage choices.”UNPA MEMBER COMPANY NEWS
Lonza agrees to manufacture and supply human milk oligosaccharides for DuPontDuPont Nutrition & Health has reached an agreement with Lonza Specialty Ingredients in which Lonza will manufacture and supply CARE4U 2’-FL, a human milk oligosaccharide. By engaging strategically with Lonza, DuPont will be able to accelerate commercialization and offer high-quality HMOs to customers and prospects.
 Sabinsa's Sankaran Natarajan honored by IASTAM for nutraceutical product developmentSami-Sabinsa’ Group’s Executive Vice President of R&D and Senior Advisor Sankaran Natarajan, Ph.D., was honored by the Indian Association for the Study of Traditional Asian Medicine (IASTAM) with the Shri Gopaldas Parikh Award for Contributions to Drug Development. Natarajan worked closely with company founder Muhammed Majeed, Ph.D., in establishing the company’s R&D division in 1998.COMMENTARY
Do synthetic ingredients have a place in the 'natural' products industry?Synthesized analogs of botanical ingredients and ingredients of wholly artificial origin could have a place in the dietary supplement industry. But if they do, full transparency would argue that they are labeled as such.MOU PARTNER NEWS
ABC’S Norman R. Farnsworth Excellence in Botanical Research Award given to Prof. Otto SticherThe American Botanical Council (ABC) announced that the 2018 ABC Norman R. Farnsworth Excellence in Botanical Research Award has been presented to Prof. Otto Sticher, Ph.D., a pharmacist, pharmacognosist and natural products chemist from Switzerland, who has spent five decades investigating the quality, composition and benefits of medicinal plants.
 GW Pharmaceuticals receives ABC Tyler award for phytomedicinal researchThe American Botanical Council presented its 2018 Varro E. Tyler Commercial Investment in Phytomedicinal Research Award to Cambridge, England-based GW Pharmaceuticals. Founded in 1998, the company’s focus is to bring "novel, cannabinoid-based prescription medicines to patients in areas of serious unmet need and in which our medicines have the potential to make a real difference to their quality of life,” according to its website.EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

UNPA member companies have posted the following employment opportunities. To include a job posting, email editor@unpa.com.

No posts this week.MARKET RESEARCH
How prescribing health food could save billions of dollars in health care costsA new study has determined that food-based prescription models would cause patients to rely far less on expensive health care in the long run. Researchers also looked into patient benefits on the health and wellness front and discovered that “subsidizing fruits and veggies would prevent 1.93 million cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and 350,000 deaths.RESEARCH
NIH study finds no evidence calcium increases risk of AMDEating a calcium-rich diet or taking calcium supplements does not appear to increase the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to the findings of a study by scientists at the National Eye Institute. The findings contradict an earlier study indicating that high levels of calcium were associated with increased prevalence of AMD, but they are consistent with another suggesting that calcium has a protective role in AMD.


DuPont study backs multi-strain high-dose formulationsAs probiotics strain and dosage choices remain ongoing industry challenges, a DuPont-backed study demonstrates the successful blending of different strains at higher doses via multi-species formulation.
 Pycnogenol, in the form of a transdermal patch, improved osteoarthritis symptomsAn observational registry study recently published in Minerva Endocrinologica found that the patented French pine bark extract Pycnogenol, in the form of a transdermal patch, relieved joint inflammation and discomfort associated with osteoarthritis.
 Choline may prevent fetal brain problems when pregnant mother has fluCholine, an essential B-vitamin nutrient, can prevent fetal brain developmental problems that often occur after prenatal maternal infections, such as colds and influenza, according to a study published in the Journal of Pediatrics that was led by researchers from the University of Colorado.
 Patented maca ingredient shown to improve strength, energy level, sexual function in menA new clinical study published in the Journal of Exercise and Nutrition showed that the patented formulation of Peruvian maca phenotypes utilized in Nutrition 21’s Lepidamax significantly enhances key factors for improved male performance and vitality.FDA WARNING LETTERS & GUIDANCES
Current FDA enforcement actions and guidancesKeep 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.