INM and NOW Introduce New Scholarship
The Institute for Natural Medicine (INM) and NOW Health Group have partnered to launch the Protocol for Life Scholarship. Created in honor of NOW founder Elwood Richard, the initiative marks the single largest commitment ever made towards the advancement of naturopathic residency programs, according to the announcement. The scholarship will look to address a critical need in the space by enhancing the accessibility, sustainability, and standardization of naturopathic residency training.
“The Richard family was inspired by my mother, Betty Richard, who grew up very poor and received financial aid to go to college,” shared Dan Richard, NOW Health Group Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing. “Our family is helping pay for residency education and training as a way to ‘pay it forward’ to others who also have financial needs. The important work INM does in whole-person health aligns very well with our company’s philosophy."
The six-figure investment, spread over five years, will be used with various facets of residency training, provide essential support to programs aligning with its goals, and create more residency opportunities for future naturopathic doctors while making sure the program maintains the highest quality standards. “Supporting residency opportunities best serves people. I am very grateful for the generous donation from the Richard family and cannot wait to see the tremendous impact it will have on education," shared Yalda Shokooh, PharmD, Ph.D., Director of Science and Nutrition at NOW.
MegaFood Partners with Vitamin Angels
Certified B Corporation, MegaFood, is partnering with global public health nonprofit, Vitamin Angels, to increase access to optimal nutrition solutions for moms and kids across the world. In honor of National Kid's Health Month, MegaFood has pledged $150,000 to Vitamin Angels through its 1% for the Planet Membership to provide life altering vitamins and nutrients to over 600,000 women and children worldwide. "We are proud to partner with 1% for the Planet environmental partner, Vitamin Angels, to address the unique nutritional needs of our most vulnerable populations," shared Matt Smith, VP of Marketing at MegaFood.
With the adverse effects of climate change expected to cause a 20% surge in hunger and malnutrition by 2050, both institutions are looking to address both issues while helping create a healthier future for everyone. To raise awareness for the collaboration and its mission, MegaFood will be rolling out a new marketing campaign in Q2 of 2025.
Cepham Takes Aim at Gender Gap
Cepham has released the details of its comprehensive plan to bridge the gender gap in health research and innovation. The initiative will include increased funding for underrepresented areas, inclusive research designs, and enhanced communication to raise awareness and support for women’s health initiatives, including Women in Nutraceuticals (WIN).
Anand Swaroop, Founder and President of Cepham, and Director at Large for WIN, spoke on the issues created by the gender gaps: “It typically takes 15-20 years for research discoveries to be adopted into clinical practice. This delay is a significant barrier to implementing new findings in women's health. By closing these research gender gaps, we can ensure that women's health issues receive the attention and resources needed for better health outcomes.”
Women's health research has been a priority for Cepham since 2013. One of their flagship products, Furocyst, is a clinically evaluated proprietary fenugreek seed extract developed to support insulin sensitivity and reduce ovarian cysts. Similarly, SheVari4, an Ayurvedic formulation, addresses menopausal symptoms, including focus and mood, by supporting hormonal balance.
Cepham will be showcasing its line of women-targeted products and participating in the Women's Wellness Walk at SupplySide West in Las Vegas and at booth 3051.
Check out our SupplySide West 2024 preview coverage here.
SIRIO Unveils New Packaging Facility
Global nutraceutical contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), SIRIO Pharma, has opened a new full-service packaging facility at its Pritzwalk campus near Berlin, Germany. “We have grown significantly in recent years and, as a result, have doubled down on investing in advanced manufacturing technology,” commented Sara Lesina, General Manager, SIRIO Europe & Americas. "With our state-of-the-art packaging facility, we now offer full-service, pharmaceutical-grade softgel development in Germany. Our teams bring incredible experience, spanning over 30 years, and by completing everything from R&D to final packaging on a single site, we offer significant advantages to our customers, who benefit from pharma-grade quality at every phase of production."
The new space, which required a 19 million euro investment from the company, will feature a state-of-the-art bottling and blistering lines, support both bulk supply and private label options, and allow the company to offer customers full end-to-end solution. The site is certified Organic (EC Regulation 2018/848), Friends of the Sea Standard (FOS), Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified for Chain of Custody Standards, and is supported by energy-saving heat pumps, energy recovery technology, and solar panels. An official inauguration ceremony was held on October 16th in Pritzwalk.
MarketPlace Expands Offerings with Nextin Research
Supplement, food, beverage, and pet business category insights and consumer research firm, MarketPlace, has launched Nextin Research, a new research storefront. A response to the demand for forward-looking industry and consumer data and insights, the storefront offers turnkey access to exclusive insights, data visualizations, presentation-ready charts, and comprehensive data sets that can be used for the development of product innovations, go-to-market strategies and marketing plans. “We know professionals in our industries are hungry for research that helps them stay ahead of the trends... In some cases, they may not have the opportunity to invest the time or budget in custom research. With reliable, ready-to-use data and insights available at the click of a button, Nextin Research provides a substantial advantage," shared Jon Copeland, Research Manager at MarketPlace.
Nextin research packages will offer options for strategic consulting services, custom data slicing, protocepting, focus on the latest topics facing the industry, and range in price from $2,995 to $6,995.
Biohm Technologies and ADM Develop Women's Microbiome Formulation
Biohm Health, Inc. has partnered with product development experts at ADM to develop Vivifem, a new data-driven, targeted microbiome formulation for women. A combination of pre-, pro- and postbiotics designed specifically for women's healthy aging goals, the science-backed mixture addresses the most common microbiome misalignments of women aged 40-65.
“Healthy aging and women’s health are two categories that remain ripe for opportunity, and gut microbiome balance plays a tremendous role in these areas. Our microbiome dataset allows us to create truly targeted solutions for specific groups of consumers and their needs—in this case, women over 40,” said Kristin Wilhoyte, VP of B2B marketing at Biohm Technologies.
In order to design the formula, the team from ADM tapped into Biohm's extensive microbiome dataset and Symbiont platform. Together they created the formula of ingredients designed to modulate the microbiome specifically relative to those target organisms identified including the probiotic blend Mycosha, prebiotic PreforPro, and the postbiotic ES1.
"By combining comprehensive bacterial and fungal biological data with cutting-edge computational biology and AI, we are unlocking new insights into human health. This latest formulation is a testament to this approach and there's much more to come," explained Sam Schatz, CEO of Biohm.
GNT Showcasing at Fi Europe 2024
GNT will give guests of the upcoming Food Ingredients Europe 2024 show a live demonstration of its plant-based EXBERRY colors with a build-your-own rainbow snack experience. From November 19-21 in Frankfurt, Germany, guests can learn about the company's latest coloring solutions through various food and beverage products and be able to choose from six different colors/seasonings to create their personal EXBERRY potato chips. Petra Thiele, Sales Director EMEA at GNT commented on the brand's objective during the show, “EXBERRY colors are trusted by the world’s leading food and beverage brands to deliver vibrant, stable shades. We’re excited to be able to give Food Ingredients Europe visitors a glimpse into the power of EXBERRY with our colorful snack bar experience. We want to inspire manufacturers to think creatively about how they can use plant-based colors to develop exciting food and drink products that really stand out on the shelf."
The GNT sustainability team will also be available during the trade show to discuss its environmental and social impacts from the last ten years and its latest initiative which includes training all contract farmers in sustainable agriculture and cutting the environmental impact of EXBERRY products by 25% by 2030. “We’ve set out a bold sustainability vision to futureproof our supplies and we’re making excellent progress on many of our aims. Thanks to our family ownership, we’ve been able to establish a robust supply chain that will help us to deliver high-quality, sustainable colors for generations to come," shared Rutger de Kort, Sustainability Manager at GNT.
Blue Stripes Closes Series B Round
Blue Stripes has closed its Series B round at $20 million. With contributions from Zintinus, The Hershey Company, DMG Ventures, Hamilton Lane, Praesidium, and Whole Foods Market, the whole cacao brand whose mission is to create a more ecologically and economically sustainable cocoa supply chain will use the new funding to advance its whole cacao process technologies, develop new products, increase its distribution, and raise awareness for the nutritional benefits of the cacao and the entire chocolate industry.
"For the last two decades of my career I focused on showing people the whimsical and romantic side of chocolate," shared Blue Stripes Founder, Oded Brenner. "In this next chapter, I am on a mission to change what happens behind the scenes of the cacao industry - reducing the negative cacao industry impact on the environment, improving the economic value cacao farmers receive for their work, and sharing the incredible functional benefits that the cacao superfruit has with the world."
Founded in 2018, the company's environmentally conscious and nutrient dense product line includes Cacao Water, Whole Cacao Chocolate Bars, Whole Cacao Granola, Whole Cacao Trail Mix, Chocolate Covered Cacao Beans, and Dried Cacao Fruit. Customers can shop the company's offerings at Whole Foods Market, Fresh Market, Sprouts, Amazon, small premium grocers like Happier Grocery in NYC.
Natural Dentist Acquires Oral Care Brands
Natural Dentist LLC has acquired Caldwell Consumer Products, operating as Revive, adding the Stim-U-Dent, Fresh 'n Brite, EarthPicks, and The Natural Dentist brands to its portfolio. Based out of Buena Park, CA, the company is known for its botanically based, clinically proven products that aid with healthy gums and naturally combat gingivitis.
“This acquisition allows us to enhance our supply chain capabilities while driving forward with innovative product development,” said Puneet Nanda, CEO of Natural Dentist LLC. “We are excited to rejuvenate the legacy of these iconic brands and continue delivering top-quality solutions to consumers, retailers, and dental professionals.”
Zooca Expands Distribution with Help from LEHVOSS
Distributor and marketer of nutraceutical ingredients and minerals for food supplements and functional foods throughout Europe, LEHVOSS, has agreed to expand the distribution of Calanus oil-based products in the European market. The exclusive agreement combines Zooca's innovative and sustainable zooplankton-based products with LEHVOSS' market knowledge, expertise, and extensive distribution network. "We are thrilled to partner with a leading group such as LEHVOSS, whose distribution expertise, client base and excellent reputation in Europe will help us meet increasing demand and to realize the potential of Zooca Calanus oil on the European market,” says Ole Kristian Sakkestad, Chief Sales Officer at Zooca.
Through the strategic partnership, LEHVOSS UK will add ready-made capsules and bulk oil formats of Zooca Calanus oil to its product portfolio while enhancing Zooca's market presence, expanding its reach, and bringing its Calanus finmarchicus-based products to a wider consumer audience. “We are excited to add Zooca’s unique and nutritious Calanus finmarchicus-based products to our science based portfolio, bringing even more value to our customers in Europe and making our offering of high quality, sustainable ingredients even more attractive and distinctive," commented Teresita Rudà, Head of Marketing and Brand Positioning for LEHVOSS Nutrition.
Natural Grocers Hosts "Celebrate Nevada Day"
From October 25-27 Natural Grocers shoppers can stop by any one of the Nevada locations—Reno, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Incline Village—to celebrate Nevada Day. All {N}power members will have access to a $5 off coupon for in-store purchases and receive a free, limited-edition, reusable shopping bag featuring the 21 states where Natural Grocers does business including Nevada, while supplies last. "We are a family-operated grocery retailer that is proud to have served Nevadans for over a decade," said Raquel Isely, Vice President of Marketing for Natural Grocers. "Nevada is a state full of health-minded individuals who value premium-quality natural and organic products, our Always Affordable prices and our world-class customer service – principles we prioritize. We invite the folks of Nevada to stop in at any of our four stores to our 'Celebrate Nevada' event for a unique, delightful shopping experience."
