BASF: Transparency and quality are great opportunities

By Stephen DANIELLS

- Last updated on GMT

Image © iStockPhoto / IvelinRadkov
Image © iStockPhoto / IvelinRadkov

Related tags Omega-3 fatty acid Nutrition

The shifting landscape of dietary supplements and increasing scrutiny by the media, regulators and consumers is driving the need for greater transparency and quality, says BASF’s human nutrition business director.

“Transparency is fundamental to quality and quality is fundamental to good business,”​ Anne van Gastel, BASF Nutrition & Health, told NutraIngredients-USA.

“Our customers are requesting transparency and quality and their consumers are requesting it. Quality is a great opportunity.”

Speaking with us at the recent SupplySide West show in Las Vegas, van Gastel explained that the company operates an ongoing auditing process, with internal, external and customer audits going on. “We providing documentation to support our quality, with documentation around the quality of our supply chain made available to customers for them to use for their documentation,” ​he said.

Quality systems

Van Gestel said that the company’s Journey to Excellence initiative strives to have the best quality systems that will continually improve its customers’ experience and help them be more successful.

“Our Supplier Qualification Program (SQP) helps us drive quality from the receipt of raw materials all the way to the order fulfillment process. To ensure and sustain quality ingredients, the SQP includes questionnaires, audits and verification of prerequisite systems that demonstrate adequate GMP systems are in place.”  

Anne van Gastel BASF
Anne van Gastel, BASF Nutrition & Health

The company also operates a Quality Council composed of experts throughout the company which ensures standards globally, he said. “That’s an important point as the FDA’s new FSMA is putting more emphasis on ensuring that raw material suppliers meet its quality requirements whether sourced from the US or imported from other countries. Our manufacturing facilities are certified to a global food safety initiative, GFSI. Such certifications as FSSC 22000/ 220002 comply with GFSI requirements. Sustainability of these requirements are measured in annual internal audits and external surveillance audits.

When FSMA’s (Food Safety Modernization Act) Hazard Analysis and Risk Based Preventative Controls for Human Food was finalized just last month, we were one step ahead by having a GFSI compliance system. The GFSI system is the foundation for FSMA compliance.”

Van Gastel added: “The bottom line is: both our customers as well as consumers want to know that what is on the label is in the product.”

Omega-3s, pill alternatives and more

The company also talked up its new omega-3 formulation in Las Vegas. The Ultra High Omega-3 Concentrate has a balanced EPA and DHA ratio, he said. The product is 90% omega-3, and comes from the makers of Lovaza, stressed van Gestel. One serving of the ‘mighty gels’ provides 970 mg of omega-3s, said the company, with a minimum of 465 mg of EPA and 375 mg of DHA.

While other sectors of the omega-3 market have experienced slowing or declining sales, the concentrates side of the business has experienced strong growth and consumers ‘upgrading’ to these products.

 “We’re glad that we’re in high concentrates,” ​he said. “We have unique products that allow us to grow in that space.”

Also among the prototypes being showcased at the Vegas event were bone health fast melts, which were formulated using the company’s Ludiflash excipient for vitamins D and K. Ludiflash enables tablets to dissolve on the tongue within seconds, said the company.

Bone health – Ludiflash excipient launched in Vegas. Previously in Pharma and now promoting to the DS industry as an alternative to pills.

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