Austin, Tx — The new Online Wellness Library (OWL), has been endorsed by the American Botanical Council (ABC) through a letter sent to the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN). The CRN is one of the leading dietary trade associations in America and it promoted the creation of OWL, an online database meant to assist the dietary supplement industry trade associations by providing up to date information accessible.

In the ABC endorsement letter to CRN president Steve Mister, ABC founder and executive director Mark Blumenthal wrote:

"ABC has long advocated for various measures by nonprofit organizations and/or members of the botanical and natural products industries to increase sustainability, quality control, transparency, appropriate scientific and clinical research, and responsible communication about the activities and benefits of these ingredients as they are employed in consumer products. 

Based on the initial information we have observed about the proposed OWL, we believe that this new program, in principle, helps fill a vital need in the dietary supplement industry and extended community and the general public — for researchers, health professionals, regulators, members of industry, and consumers to gain relatively easy access to relevant information on specific commercial dietary supplement products in the US marketplace."

Comprised of two tiers, the OWL Tier 1 will contain an image of the supplement label being accessed, as well as all of the ingredients and information in regards to the supplement at no cost to the marketer or manufacturer. Tier 2 of the OWL will be additional voluntary information that the supplement manufacturer can submit for a nominal fee. This fee also includes the option for manufacturers to control who may view the Teir 2 information, which could include information like third-party cGMP certifications, documentation of supply-chain programs, production information or credentials.

OWL was created in the hopes of promoting transparency and accountability to those in the dietary supplement industry through communicating information to manufacturers, retailers, regulators and consumers regarding the dietary supplements being sold in the U.S. Anyone interested may have access to Tier 1, but Tier 2 will be geared towards direct industry members. ABC is promoting the use of the OWL site, developed by underwriters laboratories, by members of the dietary supplement community.