Vita Coco is teaming up with The Big Ten Network as the brand expands to reach the audience for college athletics and its surrounding communities. The partnership will showcase Vita Coco in signage at select games and tournaments (Big Ten Football Championship Game, Big Ten Men and Women’s Basketball Tournaments and more throughout the 2022-2024 seasons), including on broadcast video boards, scoreboards, courtside and more. Vita Coco shared that the brand is ideal for Big Ten Conference fans with active, on-the-go lifestyles. The sponsorship marks Vita Coco’s first collegiate sports partnership.
Gummy supplement manufacturer TopGum Industries, Ltd., has received Non-GMO Project Verified certification for its portfolio of gummy bases. The company said the certification reaffirms its commitment to meet standards beyond the basic regulatory requirements. In 2021, TopGum launched a sugar-free vegan gummy supplement line of Gummiceuticals based on a prebiotic dietary fiber formulation with no added sugars or sugar alcohols. According to the company, it can be labeled “sugar free'' in the U.S. The line is also clean-label, vegan, and gluten free.
A new partnership between Care, The Starbucks Foundation, and Cargill aims to help transform cocoa growing communities in Côte d’Ivoire by establishing Village Saving and Loans Associations (VSLAs), which help community members become self-reliant. The VSLAs will be integrated into broader gender, nutrition, and water sanitation and hygiene interventions, allowing women to advance, diversify, and expand their income-generating activities. The initiative aims to reach 2,500 total participants, including 2,000 women, and to indirectly reach 15,000 community members by September 2023.
Rowdy Mermaid is increasing distribution, and is now available in 162 Natural Grocers locations, Mountain Region Whole Foods Market locations, and 170 HEB stores, and is set to host four Costco Road Shows in the Los Angeles area. Plus, the company is teaming up with Naz Reid, of Minnesota Timberwolves fame, for a social media partnership in which Reid will show his appreciation for Rowdy Mermaid beverages on Instagram. The company is also launching an Adaptonic Clarity line, featuring beta-glucans derived from Lion’s Mane mushrooms in order to support mental clarity.
Farbest Brands has been named ZMC’s exclusive distributor of Beta Carotene 1% CWS-K and Beta Carotene 22% Oil Suspension. Both products are clean-label colorants that provide a source of vitamin A and antioxidants.
The industry association Food Supplements Europe (FSE) is paying tribute to the impact and relevance of the EU Food Supplements Directive, which turns 20 this year. Adopted on June 10, 2002, the Directive established supplements as a mainstream food category, and has globally acted as a model for regulation and a touchstone for formulating cross-border agreements for the international supplement sector. Martina Simova, Chair of FSE, said in a press release: “We can feel rightly proud of the positive impact of the Food Supplements Directive. For 20 years, it has provided clarity and nurtured an environment in which reputable businesses can operate and thrive. It has struck a balance between consumer safety and access to supplements. This anniversary gives us the perfect opportunity to explore how we can build on the success of the past two decades and give fresh consideration to the role of supplements in nutrition and health policy. Reflecting this, FSE’s work in the coming months and years will focus on how the industry can help EU member states achieve their health policy goals and build more resilient communities across Europe.”
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