News in brief

Herbalife posts blistering end to year with Q4 profits up 22%

21-Feb-2012 - Direct sales supplement giant Herbalife has posted a blistering set of fourth quarter results.

ChromaDex parts company with president, appoints new COO

21-Feb-2012 - PTeroPure maker ChromaDex has parted company with its president and director William Spengler, who has left to pursue other business interests after 14 months at the Californian firm.

POM under fire again in class action suit over deceptive claims

20-Feb-2012 - POM Wonderful has come under fire again for allegedly misleading and deceiving consumers about the health benefits of its antioxidant-packed wares in a new class action lawsuit.

GNC: DMAA saga has had ‘no impact whatsoever’ on sales

17-Feb-2012 - The furor surrounding the safety and legal status of DMAA (1,3-Dimethylamylamine) - a stimulant used in several pre-workout supplements - has not dented sales at supplements giant GNC, bosses have revealed.

60-second interview, Alex Karsos, co-founder, GI Nutrition

How easy is it to break into the sports nutrition market?

14-Feb-2012 - There is room in the sports nutrition market for innovative new players, but being a minnow in a pond full of sharks is not easy, Alex Karsos, co-founder of New Jersey-based start-up GI (Grecian Ideal) Nutrition, tells Elaine Watson

NBTY: ‘We must generate acceptable margins in private label’

13-Feb-2012 - Sales of NBTY’s vitamins, minerals and health supplement (VMHS) brands grew 10% in the US food, drug and mass merchandise channel in 2011 - more than double that of industry growth of 4.5% - according to bosses at the nutritional supplements giant.

Time is running out for cardio claims on free phytosterol supplements

10-Feb-2012 - Time is running out for firms making health claims about coronary heart disease risk on supplements containing non-esterified or ‘free’ phytosterols.

New NOW Foods plant in Nevada to open significantly ahead of schedule

09-Feb-2012 - Illinois-based health food and supplements manufacturer NOW Foods is on course to complete its $20m new site in Nevada in the third quarter of this year, almost two years ahead of schedule.

Private label supplements maker Reliance moves into new site

08-Feb-2012 - New Jersey-based private label supplements maker Reliance has opened a new eco-friendly facility that will consolidate all of its activities under one roof.

News in brief

Herbalife heads to country #81: Uruguay

02-Feb-2012 - Direct-selling supplements giant Herbalife will move into its 81st country on February 15 when it sets up a new base in Uruguay, the 17th market in its South and Central America region.

ChromaDex set to raise $10.85m via sale of common stock

02-Feb-2012 - PTeroPure maker ChromaDex is set to raise $10.85m via a sale of common stock that will be used to support its new BluScience retail brand and for general working capital purposes.

Nawgan founder: ‘Our ambition is to become the most relevant brand in the world.’

31-Jan-2012 - The neuropsychologist behind brain-friendly functional beverage Nawgan says he is on a mission to turn it into “the most relevant brand in the world”.

Exclusive interview: Paul Gilner, chief executive, Life Extension

Life Extension CEO: ‘I just hope the trade isn’t hogtied and handcuffed by unnecessary regulation’

25-Jan-2012 - While cynics might raise an eyebrow at the Life Extension Foundation’s ambitious mission statement (“to conquer the aging process within the next decade”), bosses at its supplement arm have every reason to feel optimistic, CEO Paul Gilner tells Elaine Watson

NPF: Many ignorant of disease/drug claim rules and where testimonials fit in

24-Jan-2012 - A surprising numbers of companies contacted by the Natural Products Foundation (NPF) about unauthorized disease or drug claims on supplements are unaware that they are breaking the law, according to NPF executive director Deb Knowles.

pTeroPure gains momentum as BlūScience hits shelves at Walgreens

11-Jan-2012 - Momentum behind ChromaDex’s branded antioxidant pTeroPure is continuing to build with growing interest from food manufacturers and new listings for the pTeroPure-based supplement line BluScience at Walgreens.

News in brief

Vitamin Shoppe first retailer to get NSF ‘Certified for Sport’

06-Jan-2012 - Vitamin Shoppe has become the first retailer to earn NSF Certified for Sport certification, closing a busy week for the sought after certification program.

FDA will 'consider whether regulatory action is warranted on DMAA'

22-Dec-2011 - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has weighed into the debate over the stimulant DMAA (1,3-Dimethylamylamine, also known as methylhexaneamine or MHA), which has garnered more bad press in recent weeks.

Plant proteins, ‘pill fatigue’ and ‘abominable’ weight loss ads: A year in supplements…

21-Dec-2011 - Could 2012 be the year for canola protein to shine? Will a dietary solution to the ticking time bomb of type 2 diabetes finally make it big in the supplement aisles? And are gummies the solution to ‘pill fatigue’?

Abbott explores brain food with the University of Illinois

20-Dec-2011 - Healthcare giant Abbott has announced a tie up with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to establish a multi-disciplinary research center exploring the relationship between diet and cognition.

NBTY: Ester-C sales are going from strength to strength

19-Dec-2011 - Sales of NBTY’s Ester-C vitamin C supplements surged 18% in the 13 weeks to October 29 within a category that was otherwise pretty flat, bosses have revealed.

Herbalife: Belgian court judgment contains factual errors

19-Dec-2011 - Direct selling giant Herbalife says it will appeal last month’s ruling in a commercial court in Brussels stating it had violated Belgian law on unfair commercial practices.

Schiff Nutrition boss: BOGOs don’t build brands

16-Dec-2011 - While BOGO (buy one get one at a discount) offers have their uses, an over reliance on them is not in anyone’s best interests, according to the boss of supplement maker Schiff Nutrition.

Jarrow: FDA's talk of spiked supplements in context of NDI debate is 'highly disingenuous'

14-Dec-2011 - Food and Drug Administration (FDA) references to safety concerns over supplements spiked with drugs in the context of the debate on new dietary ingredients (NDIs) are “highly disingenuous”, Jarrow Formulas has argued.

New research suggests top-selling brain supplement does what it says on the tin

13-Dec-2011 - New, as yet unpublished, research on top-selling cognitive function supplement FOCUSfactor suggests it could improve memory, concentration, and focus in healthy adults.