LONG BEACH, Calif., July 17, 2006 - BI Nutraceuticals, the leading supplier of quality raw materials and custom blends for 30 years, today announced it has launched Protexx(TM), a Vendor Qualification Program in the Asia Pacific region designed to ensure that the materials sourced from this area meet BI's stringent quality standards and adhere to customer specifications, GMP standards and regulatory requirements.  This program compliments the company's industry leading program already in place for raw materials sourced from North America and Europe.

"China is one of the largest sources for raw materials, however, increased demand for dietary supplement ingredients coupled with raw material shortages is creating some problems with the quality of product coming out of this region," stated George Pontiakos, President and CEO, BI Nutraceuticals.  "We developed Protexx to ensure that we avoid any discrepant materials and continue to provide our customers worldwide with the high quality ingredients they have come to expect from us."

Protexx will be executed through the quality arm of BI in the Asia Pacific, and will be overseen and managed by Rupa Das, Vice President of Global Quality and Compliance. The program includes the following components:
* Providing clear guidelines on specifications, test methods and product quality to suppliers
* Audits of manufacturing facilities for vendor qualification
* Frequent visits to manufacturing facilities to ensure compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices
* Random audits of traceability to confirm usage of correct raw materials
* Audits of the lab facilities to assure compliance with Good Laboratory Practices
* Sampling and testing materials by third party lab and/or BI's lab to verify compliance with specifications
* Oversight of suppliers' entire Quality Assurance and Quality Control programs

BI Nutraceuticals, headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., is a global full service supplier of dietary supplement and functional food ingredients including whole herb powders and teas, standardized and drug ratio extracts, custom blends, vitamins, minerals and other specialty supplements.  All BI ingredients undergo stringent quality analysis that includes heavy metal, pesticide and irradiation testing.  All herbal powder ingredients are also tested under the company's Identilok(R) species identification process.  The company has also developed a proprietary process, UltraHD(R), which creates high-density herbal powders allowing for superior flow and less dusting during the manufacturing process.  Additionally, BI Nutraceuticals offers value-added services including particle engineering, drum to hopper formulas and steam sterilization via the company's Protexx HP(TM) process. For more information visit www.botanicals.com.

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