Marketing

GNC takes NutraClick’s ProbioSlim into nationwide stores

10-Apr-2014

Supplement retail giant GNC has picked up the ProbioSlim product from NutraClick, marking a significant success for the Boston, MA-based nutritional products company.

The 2.6 second sales window and the rise of on-the-go products: Marketing guru gives insights for food marketing in the mobile era

13-Feb-2014 By Stephen DANIELLS

Food product marketers have less than three seconds to grab consumer attention, and need think back to the old days of products in supermarket circulars to connect with consumers in the mobile era, says a leading marketing guru.

Hydration product marketer pursues focused strategy to reach target market

16-Jan-2014 By Hank Schultz

Having a good product is one thing. Branding and marketing it effectively is another, and Vipe Desai, founder and CEO of HDX Hydration Mix—a company marketing a healthy hydration supplement—knows this better than most. Desai helped introduce Red Bull...

Nu Skin hits back at ‘hatchet job’ by Chinese government mouthpiece

16-Jan-2014 By RJ Whitehead

American direct selling company Nu Skin has hit back at an article in an official Chinese newspaper that slammed the firm's marketing techniques as tantamount to "brainwashing".

Vitamin Shoppe: ‘Private label is an important growth opportunity for us’

06-Nov-2013 By Stephen DANIELLS

Growth in private label and one of its recently launched MyTrition products already a top selling product, Vitamin Shoppe is planning more new product introductions by year end, said the company’s CEO.

GNC buys UK's top online sports nutrition supplements retailer

03-Oct-2013 By Hank Schultz

GNC Holdings, Inc. is continuing its push into the high growth sports nutrition space with the purchase of A1 Sports Limited, the leading multi-brand sports nutrition e-commerce retailer in the UK doing business under the name Discount Supplements.

FDA sends warning letter for DMAA-containing product, GMP violations

25-Sep-2013 By Stephen DANIELLS

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning letter to Oklahoma City-based Pure Energy Products, Inc. for products containing controversial compound DMAA.

Warning letter lawsuit highlights shared responsibility for bringing compliant products to market

25-Sep-2013 By Hank Schultz

A recent lawsuit filed in California points out some of the issues concerning who’s responsible for product claims as a product makes it way to market. Everyone in the chain shares some of the burden for making sure claims are backed up, experts say.

Do 2 out of 3 really prefer it? A primer on count-based advertising claims

23-Sep-2013 By Maggie Hennessy

What better way to assert a product’s superiority than to actually demonstrate that consumers prefer it over the competition?

GMO labels won’t affect supermarket prices, study says

12-Sep-2013 By Maggie Hennessy

Requiring food manufacturers to label products containing ingredients from genetically engineered (GE) crops would not mean higher food prices for shoppers, according to an independent study released yesterday by the Just Label It coalition.

Emerging market focus delivers Benecol cholesterol reduction bounty

14-Aug-2013 By Shane STARLING

Finnish ag-ingredients-branded foods player Raisio has turned in its best ever quarter and said a focus on emerging markets is driving ongoing sales growth in the sluggish plant stanol, cholesterol reduction category.

GNC: We’re going to get aggressive with a marketing campaign to support fish oil

26-Jul-2013 By Stephen DANIELLS

The recent journal paper that claimed fish oil may increase the risk of prostate cancer is ‘one of the craziest articles I’ve read’, says GNC CEO Joe Fortunato, who says fish oil is ‘the most clinically tested, scientifically-based product we sell’.

FDA has adequate enforcement authority, sources say in reaction to Driven Sports exposé

26-Jul-2013 By Hank Schultz

The Food and Drug Administration has enough tools to police the dietary supplement sector. That was the reaction from industry in the wake of yet another negative story about the product category in a high profile publication, in this case, USA Today.

Functional confectionery niche continues to grow, says Naturex

19-Jul-2013 By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

The functional confectionery market remains niche but is growing rapidly as candy makers look for new ways to differentiate their products, according to ingredients firm Naturex.

Alkemists Labs launches R&D Division for finished product testing

18-Jul-2013 By Stephen DANIELLS

Leading analytical lab Alkemists Laboratories has expanded its service offerings to include a new R&D division focusing on finished product method development, verification & validation.

Proprietary Nutritionals applies full court press to marketing of Celadrin ingredient

15-Jul-2013 By Hank Schultz

Proprietary Nutritionals president Dean Mosca said the company employs a “push and pull” strategy to help whip up demand in the consumer marketplace for the supplements that contain the company’s ingredients. And lately, part of that strategy has included...

Social media: The B2B money maker?

20-Jun-2013 By Kacey Culliney

Social media is an extremely powerful brand-building tool that engages consumers, but it can also be a platform for strong business relationships and revenue generation, an expert says.

Thorne Research enters Chinese market via joint venture

01-May-2013 By Hank Schultz

Thorne Research announced yesterday that is entering the Chinese market via a joint venture with a pharmaceutical company.

Chromadex sells BluScience retail supplement line to Canadian marketing firm

26-Feb-2013 By Hank Schultz

Chromadex has announced the sale of its BluScience retail line of supplements to NeutriSci International, a private nutraceutical and cosmetic product marketing and brand development firm based in Calgary, Alberta.

Herbalife posts record financials, despite ‘unprecedented, untrue and unfair attacks’

22-Feb-2013 By Stephen DANIELLS

Herbalife Inc. – the third-biggest network marketing company – has recorded a record fourth quarter 2012 and record full year results.

Buying botanical extracts: Is your purchasing model obsolete?

07-Feb-2013 By Tom Winn, sales and marketing manager, Phytochem International Inc, Ontario CA, USA

I'm relatively new to the botanicals industry, but I’ve been puzzled by the lack of attention that nutraceutical companies pay to the relationship between prices and harvest time.

USP's draft krill oil monograph could help bring consistency to sector

10-Jan-2013 By Hank Schultz

The recent announcement by USP of a proposed new standard for krill oil could help boost customer and consumer certainty about the ingredient, experts said.

Kaneka hikes CoQ10 prices as Mitsubishi exits market

07-Jan-2013 By Hank Schultz

Longtime CoQ10 supplier Kaneka has announced a price increase in advance of competitor’s Mitsubishi’s exit from the market.

Booming private label demand drives contract manufacturer's growth

17-Dec-2012 By Hank Schultz

In another example of the growth of the dietary supplement sector, Atlanta-based contract manufacturer Private Label Nutraceuticals announced a significant expansion.

LifeVantage recalls product over metal contamination

10-Dec-2012 By Hank Schultz

LifeVantage, manufactures of herbal supplement Protandim, recently announced a product recall that reportedly could end up costing the company as much as $7 million before recovery from suppliers.

Alcrea: Our new online tool offers ‘a shift in the way nutraceuticals are developed’

16-Nov-2012 By Stephen Daniells

A new online tool from Alcrea Health is offering entrepreneurs, healthcare professionals and medically-minded marketers ‘total customization’ of products.

Global aloe market estimated at $13 billion

12-Nov-2012 By Hank Schultz

The global market for aloe vera products is estimated to have reached $13 billion, according to information presented at a recent workshop held by the International Aloe Science Council.

Cardium acquires supplement firm To Go Brands

03-Oct-2012

Cardium Therapeutics, a San Diego-based company, has acquired To Go Brands, a marketer of supplements in the natural and mass channels in an all-stock deal to support its ongoing expansion in the nutraceutical realm, the company announced recently.

McCormick: Pinterest offers brands ‘more authentic and compelling’ ways to engage with consumers

03-Oct-2012 By Elaine WATSON

Spices and seasonings giant McCormick is looking for new ways to engage with consumers via an expanded presence on photo sharing website Pinterest - the third-largest social media site after Facebook and Twitter - says its boss.

Thorne Research delves into sports nutrition market with new product line

19-Sep-2012 By Hank Schultz

Thorne Research is delving into new territory with the launch of a line of sports performance products under the name Thorne Performance.

Dispatches from Vitafoods Europe 2012

Omega-3 suppliers must know their consumers

11-Jun-2012 By Rod Addy

Omega-3 suppliers must get to grips with their manufacturing customers and with consumers if they are to market their products successfully, according to Virpi Varjonen, executive consultant at commercialisation agents Invenire.

Amway to build new $31.8 million herb facility

10-Apr-2012 By Stephen Daniells

Direct selling giant Amway is to build a new 48,000-square-foot extraction and concentration facility in Quincy, WA, as the company restructures it supply chain.

Cargill on inulin: Today it’s about fiber and weight… tomorrow it will be about prebiotics and mineral absorption

05-Apr-2012 By Elaine Watson

While US firms using inulin and oligofructose are still primarily interested in adding fiber or reducing fat and sugar, they are starting to move beyond generic fiber claims into discussing more specific health benefits, says Cargill.

IMG enters strategic new phase with new director of business development

15-Feb-2012 By Stephen Daniells

Integrated Marketing Group has entered a ‘new phase of expansion’ with the appointment of industry veteran Peggy Jackson as director of business development.

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

13-Feb-2012 By Elaine Watson

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.

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...

Latin America gets 1st regional supplement association

21-Sep-2011

Ten supplement companies marketing products in Latin America have joined together to form the first Latin American supplement association.

Beauty and the feast: Taking the risk out of beauty-from-within

13-Sep-2011 By Elaine Watson

One of the best-known names in the nutrition/energy bar market is trying its luck in the beauty-from-within market with the launch of a new bar laced with lutein for healthy skin.

APN Labs to offer private label nutraceuticals as demand for store brand grows

30-Aug-2011

Wisconsin-based APN Laboratories is now offering private label nutraceutical formulation, sourcing and manufacture services, as the economy continues to drive consumers to switch to store brands.

GNC boosts e-commerce arm with LuckyVitamin.com acquisition

24-Aug-2011 By Elaine Watson

Nutritional supplements giant GNC has boosted its presence in the fast-growing e-commerce channel with the acquisition of online discount supplement retailer LuckyVitamin.com for an undisclosed sum.

Dairy prices to soften, says Glanbia

24-Aug-2011 By Helen Glaberson

A modest weakening in dairy prices is expected, forecast Glanbia, as the company posted a profit jump in its half year results.

Schiff Nutrition to step away from ‘crazy’ private label contracts

22-Jul-2011 By Elaine Watson

Schiff Nutrition will continue to play in the private label supplements market but will “step away” from “crazy” tenders and pump all available funds into its brands from MegaRed krill oil to Sustenex probiotics, bosses have revealed.

NBTY: Below-cost bidding for private label contracts is not sustainable

06-Jun-2011 By Elaine Watson

Suicidally low bids for contracts to supply top US retailers with private-label dietary supplements have forced supplements giant NBTY to “walk away” from some tenders, bosses have admitted.

News in brief

Robinson Pharma gets USP mark for omega-3 softgels

09-May-2011

Robinson Pharma Inc.’s omega-3 30 percent fish oil softgels are set to carry the USP Verified Mark on its product label after verification by the USP DSVP (Dietary Supplement Verification Program).

Big Interview: Marc Stover, Twinlab

Dispatches from SupplySide West

Branded ingredients: The little nuances that lead to success

28-Oct-2010 By Stephen Daniells

Achieving the nutraceutical equivalent of ‘Intel Inside’ depends on a lot of factors, and issues like sustainability and ethical sourcing are becoming increasingly important.