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TOP STORY FDA takes new steps to strengthen oversight of food imports Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition In addition to recognizing the first accreditation body under the voluntary Accredited Third-Party Certification Program, FDA has launched the Voluntary Qualified Importer Program (VQIP), a voluntary, fee-based program that offers expedited review and entry of human and animal food, including supplements and supplement ingredients, into the United States. Importers interested in participating in VQIP will be required to meet a number of eligibility requirements, which include ensuring the facilities of their foreign supplier are certified under the Accredited Third-Party Certification Program. Read more→ UNPA NEWS
Early-bird discount for the 10th Annual UNPA Members' Retreat ends Feb. 16$100 registration savings for the 10th Annual UNPA Members' Retreat, to be held in Park City/Deer Valley, Utah, May 8-10, end Feb. 16. Plan to join us for this year's meeting, with a focus on the business of dietary supplements. Sponsorships for the 10th Annual UNPA Members' Retreat are now availableSponsorships for the 10th Annual UNPA Members' Retreat, to be held in Park City/Deer Valley, Utah, May 8-10, are now available. Sponsorships are an effective way to support UNPA, increase your company’s visibility and get your products and services in front of a highly desirable and targeted audience: the UNPA membership. For more information, contact Kira Olsen, 801.474.2572, x107. Recently posted at unpa.com:
AMS clarifies status of hydroponic, aquaponic and aeroponic organic operationsUSDA's Agricultural Marketing Service posted a notice clarifying that certification of hydroponic, aquaponic and aeroponic operations is allowed under the USDA organic regulations and has been since the National Organic Program began.New USDA, FDA joint venture to include food safety oversight and inspection processFDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue signed a formal agreement to increase interagency collaboration and coordination on food safety efforts as they work to enforce the Food Safety Modernization Act. That includes partnering on implementation of produce safety measures and efforts to develop regulatory approaches to biotechnology.LEGAL DOJ to Appeals Court: Affirm DMAA rulingEarlier this month, federal officials explained why an appellate court should uphold a ruling that DMAA (1, 3-Dimethylamylamine) is an unsafe food additive that doesn’t belong in dietary supplements.Amarin describes USITC decision not to investigate omega-3 products as ‘arbitrary and capricious’The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) violated statutory obligations to investigate a complaint against certain omega-3 products marketed as dietary supplements, Amarin Pharma Inc. told a federal appeals court. Amarin Pharma and Amarin Pharmaceuticals Ireland Ltd. alleged certain omega-3 products are unapproved new drugs under the Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act.M&A ACTIVITY Nutrition Capital Network: January 2018 deal downloadNutrition Capital Network predicted in June that 2017 would be a record-setting year for transactions in the nutrition and health and wellness industry, and the second half of the year outpaced that optimistic outlook.FINANCIALS Record breaking year for Lonza as company continues Capsugel integrationSwiss pharmaceutical and nutritional ingredients player Lonza beat 2017 earnings expectations but forecast a rise in operating profit margin this year that fell short of analysts’ hopes, knocking its shares.PARTNERSHIPS Biova and Stauber enter exclusive distribution arrangementStauber says that supplement brand owners and formulators looking for expanded delivery options for their joint health and beauty-from-within products can now look to Stauber for Johnston, Iowa-based Biova’s water-soluble eggshell membrane ingredients.Naturex and Cura Global Health sign global distribution dealIn a continuing effort to bring new innovation solutions to customers, Naturex has signed a global distribution agreement via its Open Innovation program (Ingenium) with Ames,Iowa-based Cura for its Koji Minerals line of fermented minerals for the dietary supplement and functional food markets. 2018 TRENDS Nutraingredients-USA 2018 predictions part 1: The microbiome, adaptogens, nootropics and moreNutraIngredients-USA looks at some of the big trends, hot ingredients and strong influences affecting the U.S. dietary supplements industry in 2018. Nutraingredients-USA 2018 predictions part 2: From CBD, Amazon, personalization and moreNutraingredients-USA rounds out its predictions for the U.S. dietary supplements industry in 2018, discussing CBD, transparency, personalized nutrition, Amazon, the food-supplement interface and Congress.ORGANIC Organic industry players release updated guidance on organic dietary supplementsThe American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), the Organic Trade Association (OTA) and Quality Assurance International Inc. (QAI), have unveiled an updated, free resource for the health supplement industry, titled Guidance on Formulation and Marketing of Dietary Supplements Under the National Organic Program (NOP). PRACTITIONER CHANNEL Practitioner channel: Pitfalls and opportunities for supplement brandsThe health care practitioner channel is characterized by strong, steady growth, product innovation and, recently, the involvement of major, multinational players. Authored by UNPA members Greg Stephens of Windrose Partners and Erik Goldman of Holistic Primary Care, the article provides insights on the channel from Holistic Primary Care’s annual practitioner survey.CONTRACT MANUFACTURING Audit a contract manufacturer remotelyAn in-person audit performed by a properly trained auditor has no substitute, particularly where issues of safety, hygiene and personnel practices are indicated. But, a supplement brand owner can tell a lot about a firm and its operations by looking at the quality of its records from the comfort of their home office.RETAIL Kroger’s Simple Truth brand hits $2 billion in salesKroger announced that its Simple Truth brand has achieved $2 billion in annual sales. The five-year-old brand, which comprises more than 1,400 SKUs, has become the second-largest brand sold in Kroger stores.PROBIOTICS Could SAD be a new marketing angle for probiotics?Seasonal Affective Disorder is a surprisingly common complaint and might provide another avenue for probiotic companies to market their products, according to U.K.-based nutritionist Natalie Lamb of the British Association of Nutritional Therapists. As global probiotics market booms, IPA warns that Europe is losing outThe global market for probiotics is growing rapidly, however, EU rules that, among other things, ban the word ‘probiotic’ being used on label, are stifling both growth and innovation in the European sector, warns the International Probiotic Association.UNPA MEMBER NEWS Twinlab Consolidation Corp. to close Utah facilityThe company recently announced it will cease operations at its American Fork, Utah, facility in the first half of 2018. LifeVantage rides wave of single serve supplements with Vitality Stack PacketsLifeVantage is now offering a single-serve packet format for its Vitality Stack line. The package design was released to provide consumers with single-day-use serving sizes for on-the-go use. High standards, transparency and up close view of retail bring success for NOW foods/ NOW unveils Informed Sport third-party certification for sports lineAs the brand celebrates 50 years in business, CEO Jim Emme reflects on the importance of brick-and-mortar retailers, influencers and trust in the supplement industry. NOW has invested in third-party certification for detection of banned substances to ensure product purity for the entire NOW Sports line. The company is also updating the packaging to new silver labels, with the first lots in stores by the beginning of March.Nature’s Way said learnings from social media informed new line of herbal powdersNature’s Way's new line of herbal powders isn’t new in terms of ingredients. But it matches new ways in which consumers are using it products, the company says. New certified for sport app helps consumers find tested, safe supplementsNSF International released its newly designed Certified for Sport app and website to help protect athletes and consumers from potentially harmful ingredients and athletic-banned substances. The app features enhanced search capabilities, side-by-side product comparisons and a UPC-barcode scanner to find Certified for Sport supplements tested on a lot-by-lot basis for over 270 athletic banned substances.MEDIA WATCH JAMA publishes study on omega-3s and cardiovascular disease riskA study in the Journal of the American Medical Association(JAMA) questions the effects of omega-3s on cardiovascular risk factors. GOED believes the study will generate negative media coverage and provides a list of counterpoints. Campaign for organic food is deceitful, expensive scamThe current effort to discredit and diminish genetically engineered foods and to attack their defenders in the scientific community is evidence of a scam against the public, according to Henry I. Miller of the Hoover Institute in a recent Newsweek article. In a response to the article, Stacy Malkan of U.S. Right To Know says the article has Monsanto's finger prints all over it.INNOVATION Durian-based probiotic product on the cards after researchers reveal ideal combinationThe sequential inoculation of a certain kind of yeast in durian pulp fermentation could lead to the development of a new non-dairy, durian-based probiotics beverage, according to researchers in China and Singapore. Prebiotic trailblazer: World's first personalized gut health supplement talks innovation and 'filling the fiber gap'Swedish startup Carbiotix says its focus on personalized feedback and dosing at a competitive price point will help consumers fill the fiber gap in a meaningful and easy way.NUTRITION Food for thought: AAP aims to ensure kids get key nutrients for brain developmentA baby's nutritional environment during the first 1,000 days of life is critical to lifelong mental health and development, says an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy statement in the February 2018 Pediatrics. Guided by the new policy, AAP sets a course to ensure pregnant women, infants and toddlers get key nutrients necessary to build healthy brains. The report does not mention supplements.PACKAGING Life after China’s plastic waste import ban: Sustainable answers for plasticsSince China banned the import of household plastic wastes on Jan. 1, European food producers and retailers have intensified efforts to reduce or eliminate plastic.CBD Legal overview of CBD in the United StatesMost of the CBD products selling online are CBD oil, spray or powder. Hemp Business Journal estimates that $450 million of the projected $2.1 billion in sales by 2020 will come from hemp-based sources. The article discusses insights on how the products are viewed by DEA, USDA and FDA.MARKETING Four B2B marketing trends that will define 2018A combination of technology advances, organizational cultural shifts and buyer-behavior changes will push B2B marketing in new directions. Here are four trends that will start to mature in 2018.MARKET RESEARCH Digestive health tops nutraceutical agendaDigestive health has hit the top of the nutraceutical industry’s agenda, according to a new survey from the organizers of VitaFoods. Experts have attributed the findings to growing consumer awareness about the importance of healthy gut microbiota and of the potential of probiotics. Millennial Moms: The misunderstood influencerThere’s a lot of uncertainty among brands about which consumer groups hold the key to influence in their digital marketing. Somewhere on the Venn diagram nestled between millennials and moms are the new power influencers: millennial moms. Did you know that 83 percent of new moms are millennials?Pricing important for today’s organic consumerPrice is important when it comes to buying organic products, but today’s consumer is influenced by other factors when filling up their shopping cart. According to the Natural Marketing Institute’s 2018 State of Sustainability in America, 16th Annual Consumer Insights & Trends report about two-thirds of today’s organic shoppers say that price guides their selections. Consumers increasingly reward sustainable companies and punish those that are not socially responsibleConsumer demand for products that are healthier for them is quickly expanding to those that are better for the environment, creating new opportunities for companies that strive to be more sustainable and barriers for those that do not, according to new research from the Natural Marketing Institute.RESEARCH Studies drill down to how elderberry ingredient provides immune support via microbial reaction in gutDeveloping research in the area of gut health and its connection to immune support has opened a new door for flavonoid-rich ingredients, according to supplier Artemis International. Extent of vitamin D's role extends to easing IBS symptoms: ReviewVitamin D supplements could help ease symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome that include bloating, stomach cramps and constipation, according to a recent review from the University of Sheffield in the U.K. Curcumin trial bolsters brain boosting linkA dose of curcumin supplements twice daily is enough to enhance memory and mood for those with mild age-related memory loss, according to a new UCLA study. Lemon verbena extract supplementation may help reduce muscle damage post exerciseSupplementation of lemon verbena extract capsules taken with exhaustive exercise by moderately active study participants reduced muscle damage more than a placebo, according to a study conducted in Germany.New study points to bone health benefits of annatto-derived tocotrienols, a form of vitamin ESupplementation with annatto-derived tocotrienol decreased bone resortion and improved bone turnover rate in postmenopausal women, according to a new study from Texas Tech Health University and Georgia State University. Building science backs sea buckthorn’s cardiovascular, antioxidant benefitsA researcher at Poland’s University of Lodz compiled and reviewed the existing scientific literature of sea buckthorn (Elaeagnus rhamnoides) oil’s health benefits, concluding that, though more research is needed, there’s a strong case for its cardioprotective benefits.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. Comments are closed.
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