New bill introduced in Senate and House for SNAP eligibility of multivitamins

​TOP STORY
New bill introduced in Senate and House for SNAP eligibility of multivitamins A new SNAP Vitamin and Mineral Act was introduced in both the Senate and the House, reviving the cause after language from a similar bill was dropped from the farm bill that was passed last year. The bill proposes that low-income Americans eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) may use their benefit to purchase multivitamins. The new bill has some technical changes but nothing substantial. Read more→

UNPA NEWS
UNPA signs MOU with Hemp Industries Association
UNPA has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Phoenix-based Hemp Industries Association (HIA). The agreement is an effort to advance hemp extract product research, safety, identity and quality standards.

UNPA/TraceGains Expert Insights webinar on claims substantiation set for Wednesday, June 19, at 11am MDT
With increased scrutiny from the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission on dietary supplement claims, manufacturers are under pressure to redouble their efforts to ensure they have the records to back up their product claims. This UNPA/TraceGains webinar will explain the current regulatory climate and review new software tools that can help simplify researching and substantiating claims.

GMOs
Trump orders simpler regulatory path for genetically engineered food President Trump wants to make it easier for genetically engineered plants and animals to enter the food supply, and he signed an executive order this week directing federal agencies to simplify the "regulatory maze" for producers. The move comes as companies are turning to newer genetic engineering techniques that make it easier to tinker with the traits of plants and animals.

Bioengineered salmon heading to market Genetically engineered salmon is heading to store shelves in the U.S., but it won't be coming from the biggest salmon farming state in the country, Maine, according to the Maine Aquaculture Association. Massachusetts-based AquaBounty Technologies has said American supermarkets could begin selling the much-debated fish by the end of next year.

HEMP/CBD
Texas OKs hemp farming, Louisiana imposes restrictions on CBD products Texas is the 45th state to approve hemp farming and will work on regulations for the 2020 growing season, reported Vote Hemp, a nonprofit advocacy organization. Meanwhile, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards signed a bill providing for the regulation of industrial hemp, but prohibiting the sale of inhalable hemp, alcoholic beverages containing CBD, and the marketing of CBD products as a dietary supplement.

Brands’ top eight hemp CBD questions answered Federally legal, but illegal in certain states, hemp is steeped in regulatory confusion. Nutrition Business Journal addressed this confusion—and much more—in its Hemp & CBD Guide. This infographic gives a peek into the report findings, including the extensive proprietary survey assessing consumer awareness and attitudes about hemp.

Forget about marijuana laws for a second. The CBD industry needs to be regulated In this commentary, Debby Miran, former commissioner of the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission, suggests a “three-lane highway” approach that would enable the FDA to work within its existing structure to create a regulatory framework for CBD products. 

Kroger selling CBD cream, balms and oils in 17 states Kroger has joined Rite-Aid, CVS and Walgreens in offering consumers the ability to purchase CBD-infused topicals in its stores. Select stores across 17 states, including 92 locations in Michigan alone, will roll out the products as soon as this week.

LEGAL
Natural Alternatives International Inc. files trademark infringement suit against Vitalize Labs LLC Natural Alternatives International, Inc. (NAI) has filed suit against Vitalize Labs, LLC (doing business as Eboost) for infringing on NAI’s CarnoSyn beta-alanine trademarks. The suit alleges that Vitalize is representing its pre-workout product called Pow as containing NAI’s patented CarnoSyn beta-alanine, despite not having purchased the licensed product from NAI, nor being authorized or licensed to use NAI’s CarnoSyn trademarks.

M&A ACTIVITY
Nutrition Capital Network: Deal download May 2019 Cannabidiol deals in personal care, beverages, and even ice cream are increasing as the Food and Drug Administration begins hearings to regulate edibles.

PARTNERSHIPS
Mars Inc. teams with Jerusalem Venture Partners to support tech startups focused on wellness agriculture and nutrition Mars Inc. may be best known for its confections, but the global food giant is taking a closer look at personalized nutrition as a “critical focus” area for its new Mars Edge segment, which is dedicated to human health through targeted nutrition, according to the company.

BOTANICALS
Turmeric turmoil: Adulteration and contamination issues touted as hepatitis cases hit nineteen As the number of hepatitis cases linked to turmeric containing supplements reaches 19, ongoing concern is giving way to speculation as to the cause of the outbreak and its repercussions in the industry.

ORGANIC
Organic farming has a plastic problem; One solution is controversial The organic farming practice of avoiding chemical weed killers has created a different problem: an abundance of plastic mulch that ends up in landfills after harvest is over. Besides weed control, the plastic covers help organic farms save water and increase yields, but finding an alternative to plastic mulch is proving difficult.

GLOBAL REGULATORY
German drug authority approves first herbal weight-control remedy Bladderwrack seaweed powder in tablet form becomes the first traditional herbal accompaniment approved by German authorities, who deem the remedy suitable as part of a diet for weight loss.

Bulgaria in contention to be first EU country to allow open sale of CBD Bulgaria could be the first country in Europe to permit the sale of hemp-derived CBD nutraceutical products on the open market, granting authorization to U.S.-based firm Kannaway.

Italy’s Supreme Court ruling casts legal doubt among country’s ‘cannabis light’ industry Italy’s Supreme Court has ruled the sale of all cannabis derivatives, such as oils, buds, resins and leaves as illegal in a decision that in principle outlaws the previously allowed “cannabis light” products.

GLOBAL POLICY
Trudeau announced Canadian ban on single-use plastics as early as 2021 Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has proposed a ban on common, single-use plastic items that will be put into effect by 2021. This step follows the European Union’s decision in March to ban single-use plastics by the same year.

PROBIOTICS
DuPont urges better quality control in probiotics market A newly published peer-reviewed paper written by probiotic supplier DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences and other industry stakeholders urges those making probiotic products to better make use of third-party certifications and other tools to boost quality control in the commercial probiotics market.

CERTIFICATIONS
Nutrasource merges certification programs to boost consumer experience Nutrasource Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Services has merged its third-party certifications into a new brand called Certifications by Nutrasource.

SUPPLY CHAIN
Building a better brand/supplier relationship From technical expertise to market insight, many suppliers offer a host of value-added perks that benefit long-term brand partners.

FORMULATION CHALLENGES
Formulating and branding for children Children offer similar challenges compared to adults for formulators and brands—the biggest difference being that children’s needs are often magnified.

INNOVATION
DuPont partners with startup to create swallowable microbiome sampler DuPont has partnered with an early-stage startup to create a smart, swallowable capsule that will offer routine access to "unchartered territories" in the gut microbiota.

The omega-vortex: Novel encapsulation device boosts fish oil bioavailability Researchers in Australia have created a novel encapsulation technology said to be able to increase the body’s capacity to absorb fish oil.

UNPA MEMBER COMPANY NEWS
USADA Names NSF best sports certification for athletes supplement needs The United States Anti-Doping Agency has named NSF Certified for Sport as the dietary supplement certification that best meets the needs of athletes. The issue of doping has been a concern in professional and amateur national and international sports organizations for years.

PERSONALIZED MEDICINE
Diet for One: Scientists stalk the dream of personalized nutrition The largest and most comprehensive experiment to date looking at individual responses to food has shown that there are “substantial and surprising variations in how well participants processed fats and carbohydrates,” even among identical twins. The team concluded that the most important factors affecting how our bodies metabolize food are environmental—namely, “sleep, stress, exercise and the diversity and population of our individual gut microbiome." 

DNA-based personalized sports nutrition ready for prime time, nutrigenomic study says Genetic testing for sports nutrition remains a supplementary tool suitable for use in guiding nutritional strategies to optimize athletic performance, according to a review from the University of Toronto.

Personalized nutrition model a basis for better blood glucose control A personalized nutrition approach that predicts blood sugar levels after meals may prove useful in the design of effective nutritional interventions for patients with metabolic disorders.

MARKETING
Brands face hurdles in integrating CX data Although 90 percent of brands believe that a journey-based approach is key to their success, many face challenges, including breaking down data silos, according to the 2019 State of Customer Journey Management & CX Measurement, a global study by Pointillist. Data is the foundation of customer experience marketing, yet wide disparities exist between companies in their ability to integrate it.  

The secret to D2C brand allure? Outspending everyone else A new study from CommerceNext and Oracle reveals there may be a problem with the  Direct-to-consumer (D2C) business model: they outspend everyone else on marketing. And yes, they’ve noticed those radically outsized budgets make profits (ostensibly, the reason companies are in business) kind of impossible.

Creative that works: Email is the most measurable medium According to a report in Marketing Week, measuring creative is not only an “oxymoron,” it is an apparently hopeless task, although 61.8 percent of brands surveyed measure the impact of their creative. Ultimately, email is the most measurable channel—people respond or they don’t, they open the email, they click through, they convert. 

Ask me something personal: Retail shoppers want individual experiences Is your email personalization engine up to providing individual messaging? It better be, judging by "Shoppers Demand Superior Ecommerce Experiences," a study by Avionos, which noted that 78 percent of consumers are more likely to buy with a company that personalizes their experiences.

MARKET RESEARCH
Gummy supplement sales double from 2014 to 2018 Nearly half of all dietary supplements sold in 2018 were in a non-pill format, a gain in market share of nine percentage points since 2014. Gummy supplements alone have doubled in size over the last five years.

Global health and nutrition survey reveals who wins shopper’s trust Europeans are the least likely consumers to believe vitamins and supplements are safe and good for their health, according to Euromonitor’s 2019 health and nutrition survey.

Most Americans concerned about safety of food and consumer products, NSF survey finds Up to 61 percent of Americans are concerned about the consumer products they use, according to a consumer survey conducted on behalf of NSF International. The online survey was conducted in February 2019 on 1,000 Americans to find out what concerns American consumers have related to the food, dietary supplement, personal care and home cleaning products they buy.

RESEARCH
Provocative: Cocoa flavonoids may improve mobility, quality of life for older people Flavonoid-rich cocoa supplements may improve biomarkers of heart health, boost mobility and improve the quality of life for people over 55, suggests a new study from the Instituto Politecnico Nacional in Mexico, University of California San Diego and VA San Diego Healthcare System.

Low vitamin K status linked to higher blood pressure, stiffer arteries Improving vitamin K status may boost cardiovascular health by reducing arterial stiffness and improving blood pressure, suggests a study from scientists in Belgium and The Netherlands.

Study confirms efficacy of peptan collagen for skin beauty and hair strength Adding further evidence to Peptan’s scientific portfolio, the double-blind, placebo-controlled study by Rousselot revealed that oral supplementation with Peptan collagen peptides significantly contributed to improving the overall appearance of skin and hair in an ethnically diverse population.

Cognizin citicoline and omega-3 DHA support brain function A Japanese university study published in the Journal of Pharmacological Sciences showed “synergistic activity for improving learning and memory ability” in mice that suffered cognitive impairment and then consumed a combination of Cognizin Citicoline and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). 

Seven nutrients linked to reduced risk of metabolic syndrome in Japanese population High intake of folate, soluble and insoluble fiber, carotene, iron, vitamin C and potassium has been associated with a lower risk of metabolic syndrome in a first-of-its-kind assessment of nutrient patterns in a Japanese population

​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.