Washington, D.C.—The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) has formed an eight-member advisory board for its 6-month-old dietary supplement product registry the Supplement OWL (Online Wellness Library).  It includes representatives from dietary supplement companies (CRN members and non-members) and other industry stakeholders, along with two technical advisors.

Appointees to the Supplement OWL Advisory Board are:
  • Jeff Brams, general counsel and vice president, science & international, Garden of Life
  • Michael Cleary, Ph.D., director of research and development, SmartyPants
  • Mike Devereux, CEO, Nature’s Way
  • Randy King, senior vice president, governance & compliance, New Chapter, Inc.
  • Carlotta Mast, executive director of content & insights, New Hope Natural Media
  • Steve Mister, president & CEO, CRN
  • Guru Ramanathan, Ph.D., chief innovation officer and senior vice president, GNC
  • Pam Walker, head of global sales, materials & ingredients, UL
Non-voting Technical Advisors to the Board are:
  • Duffy MacKay, N.D., senior vice president, scientific & regulatory affairs, CRN
  • Alec Miller, director of software development, UL
“The majority of the appointees have been involved with the Supplement OWL since its inception,” said Mister. “Having an intimate knowledge of the roots of the registry, the members of this Board will be able to offer insight and constructive feedback that speaks to the OWL’s past, present, and future.”

“As theSupplement OWLcontinues to gain momentum throughout the industry," Mister added, "it’s crucial that the registry evolves to accommodate increased demand and participation. "Though just six months old, the registry already contains an appreciable amount of product labels, and is being noticed by regulators, retailers, and other target audiences."

The Supplement OWLis an industry-wide, self-regulatory initiative that will help create a more complete picture of the marketplace for regulators, retailers, and industry. TheSupplement OWLwill serve as a resource for these audiences to identify products, their ingredients and the companies who market them, and permit registry users to examine and evaluate labels and other product information. CRN is spearheading the effort by providing the initial funding and conceptual project management. UL, a global independent safety science company, is investing funding in the development and administration of the registry and the technology that will drive this database.

The Supplement OWL offers two tiers of information. Participation in Tier 1 includes an image of the product, a complete product label and other fields of information, obtained principally from the label itself. There is no charge to participate in Tier 1. Tier 2 allows companies to upload additional supporting information and documentation about their products and to choose who will have access to that information. Once a label is uploaded to Tier 1, companies can participate in Tier 2 for a nominal charge.