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TOP STORY Pro-business, less regulation is industry’s first guess about a Trump Presidency Nutraingredients-usa.com Donald Trump’s historic victory in the 2016 Presidential campaign has industry scrambling to determine what a Trump administration will look like. Given that the candidate has taken positions that are both in alignment and out of left field with traditional Republican views, most thought leaders are speculating it will be favorable to business and with less tendency to over-regulate. Appointments to Cabinet positions such as Health and Human Services Secretary and Surgeon General, as well as judicial appointments, will be important. Read more→ REGULATORY
Trade groups, consumers push FDA to reverse vinpocetine banNaturalProducsINSIDER Calling the FDA’s position unprecedented, industry trade organizations CRN and NPA have joined Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) in urging the FDA to reverse its tentative conclusion that vinpocetine is no longer a legal dietary ingredient. The groups note that the agencies’ reversal on the ingredient when there are no safety concerns was inappropriate. [Note that UNPA will provide specific vinpocetine comments with its NDI comments by Dec. 12, as the organization believes this is one issue, not two]. Hundreds of consumers are also getting in on the act asking FDA to keep vinpocetine on the market.They say removing it from the market will raise costs for consumers who are seeking alternatives to prescription medications. Read coverage: CRN, NPA call FDA position on vinpocetine ‘unprecedented’→ Consumers urge FDA to keep vinpocetine on the market→ NDIs Six industry leaders across several sectors offer insights on NDI guidanceNewHopeNetwork In this video interview, six industry voices offer perspective on what could be the biggest regulatory challenge for supplement makers since the passage of DSHEA. Interviews include supplements lawyer Ivan Wasserman, Twinlab CEO Naomi Whittel, NBJ founder Tom Aarts, Nutrasource president/CEO William Rowe, NOW CEO Jim Emme, and CoQ10 Association chief Scott Steinford. Read more→PRBIOTICS Probiotic event explores impact of NDIs on the segment; UNPA webinar continued dialogueNutraingredients-usa.com, UNPA With discussion about market size and positions from FDA and FTC on NDIs and claims substantiation, The International Probiotic Association DC workshop in early November provided a venue for sharing knowledge and expertise. Key takeaways included projections of market growth, analytical insights, and concerns about how probiotics will be viewed in the new NDI world. To continue the discussion, UNPA is hosting an expert webinar for UNPA members and MOU-partners. The webinar will include key stakeholders, including Stephen Daniells, Ph.D., senior editor at Nutraingredients-USA and editorial consultant for Probiota Americas Food Vision USA. Discussion will focus on probiotics and the NDI guidance, the GRAS Rule, and FTC’s position on marketing probiotics. Read coverage: The 13 things we learned from the IPA’s DC workshop→ Probiotic Update: NDI and Regulatory issues and registration information→MEDIA Informa completes ￡1.2 billion Penton purchaseInforma.com Informa, the international business intelligence, exhibition, events and academic publishing group, has announced the completion of its ￡1.2 billion acquisition of Penton Information Services. Penton is the producer of industry trade events and titles including the Natural Products Expos, Engredea, and Nutrition Business Journal. The deal will strengthen Informa’s global business divisions and expand its U.S. presence. The company noted that Penton’s viability will improve its long-term growth strategy. Read more→ GMOs NY Times article missed details in rating GMO value; GMA fined in Washington state GMO fightGrist.org, MediaPost Grist's look at the New York Times’ front-page piece on how GMOs failed to meet key promises of increased yields and reduced pesticide use suggests that it may have missed some important details. The Times' article concludes that GMOs just aren’t useful. Grist's author says this runs contrary to loads of evidence and makes the point that we shouldn’t discount the technology without zooming in on the data. Meanwhile, a Washington state court has levied a record-setting $18 million fine on the GMA for violations during the fight for the state’s 2013 GMO labeling initiative. The court ruled that the GMA violated state law by concealing the names of companies that were behind GMA’s $11 million effort to fightInitiative 522. Read coverage: What the New York Times missed with its big GMO story→ GMA fined $18 M for violations in anti-GMO labeling fight→CBD CBD study pushes cannabis component closer to drug approvalNewHopeNetwork CBD has moved one step closer to approval as a pharmaceutical drug as British company GW Pharmaceuticals published its third study showing how the component decreases seizures in two types of epilepsy. The purified CBD ingredient, Epidiolex, was associated with a 42 percent drop in seizures. Read more→ MEDIA HBO’s John Oliver waxes prophetic on MLMsYouTube HBOs comedy news program, Last Week Tonight, is at it again, offering host John Oliver’s special take, this time on MLM companies. With U.S. retail sales of $36 billion, the direct-sales industry shouldn’t be brushed off, he says, and while most companies claim to be legitimate, they seem awfully “pyramid” shaped. He does an in-depth profile on Herbalife and the recent investigation into its business practices. Oliver also generally pokes fun at celebrity experts, the cult-like status and showmanship of founders, and the firm’s impossibly complex compensation programs, which, he notes, do involve math. Watch more→ORGANIC Vermont farmers rally against organic seal for hydroponics cropsBurlington Free Press As the debate surges over whether hydroponically grown food should be allowed to bear the USDA organic seal, a group of activists who disapprove of such a move, includingU.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)and Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT), gathered in Vermont. The National Organic Standards Board is expected to review a proposal to prohibit organic certification of hydroponic producers later this month.Read more→ RETAIL Vitamin Shoppe launches store revamp; Whole Foods shareholders push for further changesNutraingredients-usa.com, Bloomberg.com Vitamin Shoppe is embarking on a plan to revamp its existing stores as “wellness locations” with in-store beverage bars, sampling counters and maybe the occasional perishable. The plan, outlined in the company’s Q3 earnings call, also calls for a drastic slowdown of its new store openings. At Whole Foods, the announcement of the management changes last week is now combined with rumors that one of its largest shareholders met with activist investors to discuss further changes, including a sale. Shareholder concerns include the chain's sales slump over the past five quarters, as well as worries that it hasn’t been well run. Other issues includepoor inventory and vendor management, and the fact that the chain does not resonate well with millennial consumers. Read coverage: Vitamin Shoppe to revamp existing stores, cut expansion→ Whole Foods’ shareholder said planning push for changes, possible sale→PERSONALIZED MEDICINE Thought leaders discuss growth, impact of Personalized MedicineNutraingredients-usa.com As the industry gathered in Phoenix for the 4th Annual Personalized Medicine Lifestyle Institute Thought Leader Conference, experts discussed a variety of ways the personalized medicine movement may impact the supplements industry. Their thoughts are noted in this series of videos/aricles. PMLI president Dr. Jeffry Bland predicts that the future of supplements is to marry itself into the scientific wellness revolution, with technologies from genomic testing to real-time data collection from wearables. The study of systems biology must include the microbiome, according to Rob Knight of the University of California, who noted one of the areas of intriguing research is the microbiota and obesity. Aaron Bartz, president of OrthoMolecular Products Inc., discusses ownership of data and health information, and how itis changing the dietary supplements game by putting more pressure on practitioners. Nathan Price of the Institute of Systems Biology notes that interest in personalized nutrition and how it pertains to wellness is growing, as are companies focused on tailoring food to individual measurements. Read/watch coverage: Dr. Jeff Bland: The future of dietary supplements is to marry itself into this scientific wellness revolution→ Hard to do systems biology when you ignore 99 percent of us (the microbiome)→ Are personalized health developments changing the conversation around supplements?→ There is a big growing interest in personalized medicine→UNPA MEMBER NEWS Sabinsa suit with Nachurel Ingredients resolvedSabinsa Corp. Nachurel Ingredients LLC., has agreed to a Final Consent Judgment that resolved a previous lawsuit for the infringement of Sabinsa’s U.S. patent for tetrahydrocurcuminoids. The judgment binds Nachurel, its officers, directors, agents and all representatives, and reflects the strength of the Sabinsa patent. Legal counsel noted that quick and amicable resolution of these disputes is desirable to avoid further litigation. Read more→OmniActive study adds to evidence for capsaicinoids and weight lossNutritional Outlook OmniActive Health Technologies shared the results of a new study on the weight-management benefits of its Capsimax ingredient, which contains capsicum, an extract from red chili peppers that offers appetite suppression as well as reduction in waist and hip circumference. The results were shared at the recent Experimental Biology conference. Read more→Standard Process awards scholarships to three chiropractic studentsUNPA In its continuing effort to assist students studying to become health care professionals, Standard Process has awarded three new $2,500 scholarships. Two grants go to chiropractic students Maxwell Muehliep and Ben Stebbins at the University of Western States, and the third goes to Kameron Bavender at Texas Chiropractic College. This year Standard Process has awarded more than $90,000 in scholarship funds, with the hope that recipients will further their knowledge in nutritional education while pursuing their degrees. Read more→MARKET RESEARCH Protein is still on top for Americans; Beta carotene market sees more growthBloomberg.com, Nutraceuticals World Nearly two-thirds of Americans looking for healthy products say they look for protein, according to a recent report from Mintel Group. And Euromonitor data suggests Americans are eating about twice as much as recommended in the dietary guidelines—48.5 grams a day from fresh foods and 54.2 percent a day from packaged foods. Also, the global beta carotene market is predicted to reach $621 million by 2024, according to a new report from Grandview Research. It attributes the growth to continued demand for naturally sourced food, beverage and supplement products. Read coverage: Enough with the protein, America→ Beta carotene market expected to reach $621M by 2024→ RESEARCH Astaxanthin aids mental, physical fatigue; Lycopene complex for UV exposure; Probiotics suppress appetite; ALA from chia transfers to infants; Pomegranate supports heart healthNutraingredients.com, Nutraceuticals World, Nutritional Outlook Japanese nutraceutical firm Asta Real says that in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study published in the Journal of Clinical Therapeutics and Medicines, its astaxanthin has been found to simultaneously impact both mental and physical fatigue. Supplements from a lycopene-rich tomato nutrient complex, or lutein, may protect against the damaging effects of UV exposure on the skin, says a new study from the Liebniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicines in Dusseldorf, Germany. Researchers at DuPont Nutrition and Health have found that consumption of Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. Lactic 420, with or without a prebiotic fiber, can help reduce body fat mass, trunk fat mass, waist circumference and energy intake in adults, compared to placebo. This is the first study to translate findings of these effects in animals to humans. A study from the University of Chile published in Nutrients has shown that women who consume Benexia chia oil, one of the highest sources of plant based omega-3s from ALA, resulted in high levels of DHA transferred to their infants during breast feeding. A new study from India suggests that Verdure Sciences’ Pomella pomegranate extract may improve cardiovascular-health markers in patients with myocardial infarction. Read coverage: New study shows astaxanthin is effective against daily mental and physical fatigue→ Lycopene, lutein supplements show skin protection from within against UV radiation→ RCT supports B420 probiotics for weight management benefits→ Chia ALA may increase DHA in mother’s milk during pregnancy→ Pomegranate extract may improve cardio metabolic health→ Comments are closed.
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