Acquisitions, new launches, new partnerships, awards, new initiatives and more.

Green Acres Health Foods of Piscataway, NJ celebrated its 20th anniversary in November with a festive open house. The store had sampling stations, gave out goodie bags to shoppers, raffled off gift baskets and offered special discounts. Green Acres also attracted attention with live music—and lines running through the aisles!

Washington, NJ-based Herbalist & Alchemist released an educational DVD called, A Mid-Summer’s Herb Dream: A Summer Herb Walk by David Winston RH (AHG). In the DVD, Winston teaches viewers about the traditional, modern and cultural uses of several herbs.

Bioforce USA of Ghent, NY is offering retailers an A Vogel Institute course on phytotherapy and human health developed by herbal medicine specialist Jen Tan, M.D., along with Bioforce AG researchers and authors. Students will receive a proposed timetable for completing 12 modules (takes approximately 48 hours) and a multiple-choice assessment test. The course must be completed within a two-year window and will cover phytotherapy with respect to the immune, circulatory, digestive, urinary, reproductive, nervous, musculoskeletal, skin and endocrine systems. Additional information is available at www.bioforceusa.com.

The Congressional Dietary Supplement Caucus, the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and the Natural Products Association (NPA) hosted a lunch briefing on Capitol Hill entitled, “Sports Nutrition and Dietary Supplements.” Douglas S. Kalman, Ph.D., R.D., a director at Miami Research Associates, spoke to nearly 70 attendees about good nutrition for athletes and addressed concerns about steroids in dietary supplements.

Carlson Labs of Arlington Heights, IL announced it will participate in Vitamin Angels’ Unconventional Angels Coupon Promotion. The company will sponsor a coupon for $2.00 off any Carlson product through the end of this month. When coupons are redeemed, a donation is made to Vitamin Angels.

Albuquerque, NM-based Heel USA received the Corporate Vision Award from the American College for the Advancement in Medicine.

Stratum Nutrition of St. Louis, MO entered into a partnership with ESM Technologies of Carthage, MO, maker of a NEM (Natural Eggshell Membrane) ingredient. Novus will offer sales, marketing and R&D resources to further advance the science behind NEM.

Natrol, Inc. of Chatsworth, CA was certified by the Natural Products Association current good manufacturing practices certification program.

For the second year in a row, NOW Foods of Bloomingdale, IL was recognized by the State of Illinois for its waste reduction and environmental sustainability efforts. This marks the second consecutive year in which NOW Foods has received the Illinois Governor’s Sustainability Award.

A new Web site devoted to news and information about antioxidants has been launched: www.antioxidant.com. According to the site developers, “Our plan is to utilize the wonderful resources available to us in the scientific community worldwide to share the ongoing developments in the role antioxidants play in our health.” The site pulls together exclusive and contributed articles from sources such as WholeFoods Magazine.

A recent episode of The Dr. Oz Show listed the top five all-natural medicine chest essentials. They included tea tree oil, SFS-free toothpaste, Tiger Balm from Prince of Peace Enterprises of Hayward, CA, valerian root and bentonite clay.

 Watsonville, CA-based Nordic Naturals is participating in the NFL/NFLPA Sports Nutrition Label Certification Program with its Ultimate Omega 120 soft gels. This certification tells athletes that the product doesn’t contain any banned substances or metabolites and the quantities of ingredients listed on the labels are accurate.

Ronkonkoma, NY-based American Health announced that Presence NE Brokers of South Barrington, IL are now sales representatives for Ester-C, American Health and Home Health brands in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Vermont and Washington, D.C.

The American Herbal Products Association of Silver Spring, MD (AHPA) has revised the AHPA Guidance on How to Conduct an FDA Inspection. According to the firm, “this important guidance will assist you before, during and after an inspector arrives at the door of your manufacturing facility and conducts an inspection.” Copies can be purchased at www.ahpa.org/Default.aspx?tabid=68.

ChicoBag of Chico, CA selected the winners of its Green Halloween contests. The winning design, submitted by a 13 year old from Missouri, can be viewed at http://greenhalloween.org/chicobag.

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, January 2010