The Natural Products Association (NPA), headquartered in Washington, D.C., will now be e-mailing an NPA Fact of the Week to members of Congress. Facts will covered news and research about dietary supplements in an effort to educate the 112th Congress about our industry.

In separate news, the NPA renamed its annual tradeshow to Natural Products Association MarketPlace. This year’s convention will take place June 23–25 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

According to new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 26 million Americans have diabetes and 79 million adults have prediabetes.

The Food Processing Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is hosting the National Small Food Manufacturers Conference on May 23–24 in Omaha, NE. Additional information is available at the conference Web site, www.fpc.unl.edu/nsfmc.

Watsonville, CA-based Nordic Naturals contributed to Vitamin Angels’ Thrive to Five program. In 2010, the company donated enough Children’s DHA supplements to benefit 3,000 children living in the Dominican Republic.

Likewise, NHK Laboratories, Inc. of Santa Fe Springs, CA gave 3,000 bottles of chewable multivitamins for children to Vitamin Angels. 

A new study was published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine Polycystic indicating women with polycystic ovary syndrome may benefit from taking Maitake SX-fraction (from Mushroom Wisdom of East Rutherford, NJ). The three-month trial involved 80 Japanese women; 77% if those taking the supplement showed ovulation and the three women who wanted to conceive became pregnant.

The March 1 deadline to comply with Canada’s natural products number (NPN)/exemption number (EN) policy has been extended indefinitely, according to the CHFA. The Canadian government had planned to prohibit products with an NPN or EN number from sale in the country. But, the backlog of products awaiting review under these standards made the CHFA question the feasibility of the compliance date. After negotiations, Health Canada will delay the deadline “in order to work out proper standards of evidence that are acceptable to the industry.”

Trace Minerals Research of Ogden, UT bought a powder fill packaging machine for its manufacturing plant. Says the company, “The new machine was purchased to meet the production demand due to increased sales of its top-selling powder line of products.” The company stated it can now accommodate contract manufacturing requests and grow its powdered line of products. 

D-Ribose supplements from Los Angeles, CA-based Jarrow Formulas (an ingredient of Bioenergy Life Sciences) were given out in gift bags distributed at the Golden Globe Awards. Representatives from both companies were on hand to give information to celebrities about the product.

Glanbia plc, of Kilkenny Ireland, acquired Bio-Engineered Supplements and Nutrition (BSN) for $144 million.

J.R. Watkins Naturals of Minneapolis, MN can now use the Natural Products Association’s Home Care Natural Seal on seven of its products. They include four varieties of its all-purpose cleaner, two types of its window cleaner and its tub and tile cleaner.

The American Herbal Products Association of Silver Spring, MD has launched the “Did You Know?” program, a Q&A email to help its members answer questions about dietary supplements manufacturing. For more information or to submit questions, e-mail Devon Powell at dpowell@ahpa.org.

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) toured the Bloomingdale, IL-based NOW Foods manufacturing facility in January. Durban and members of NOW’s management team also met to discuss industry regulations and the firm’s “commitment to providing quality natural products.” Stated Al Powers, president of NOW Foods, “We were honored to host Senator Durbin and show him first-hand how the new FDA cGMP regulations are playing out every day in a manufacturing plant.” 

 Published in Whole Foods Magazine, March 2011 (online 2/4/2011)