Industry Leaders Join Congressman Pallone in Support of Dietary Supplement Education Alliance at Fund Raiser During Supplyside East
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 More than fifty industry leaders gathered on May 5th to support the Dietary Supplement Education Alliance with their presence and contributions at the Alliance’s first fund raising dinner during Supplyside East.  Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) was Special Guest at the event held at Lantana Restaurant, legendary as one of Frank Sinatra’s favorite haunts and currently ranked among America’s top Italian restaurants.
 
“We were pleased and proud to see so many new faces at the dinner,” said Elliott Balbert, president of the Alliance.  “Thanks to industry support, the Alliance’s consumer education campaign reached more than 75 million Americans in 2002 with positive news about supplements that appeared nationally on television news programs, radio shows and in newspaper and magazine articles.”
 
“So far this year, the video news release produced by the Alliance on the benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids has been seen on television news programs in 20 cities across the country with more than a million viewers,” he continued.   “Our press release about supplements for colds and flu ran in over 300 newspapers in 24 states, and our story about supplements for heart health is appearing currently in newspapers across the country ---almost 4 million readers in total.”
 
“This month, we’ve launched a newsletter about recent supplement research studies that our press list of 1,000-plus journalists will receive each month as part of our effort to battle the myth that there is ‘no research’ on supplements,” said Alliance board vice president Jon Benninger.  “This new initiative is in addition to biweekly press releases going out to our press list via e-mail on topics such supplements to relieve stress, the benefits of antioxidants, and other topics related to the health benefits of supplements.
 
Other Alliance activities at SupplySide East included a Networking Reception and Breakfast on May 7th with a presentation on the supplement industry’s role in post-war relief efforts.  Special Guest speakers were Howard Schiffer, president of Vitamin Angel Alliance and Simon Marks, who has just returned from Iraq and Jordan where he covered the war for Fox News Channel on Cable and PBS. 
 
Mr. Schiffer put out a call to supplement manufacturers for urgently needed vitamin donations.   “Iraq is facing a humanitarian crisis of huge proportions,”said Mr. Schiffer.  “With half the population of Iraq under age 15, post-war relief efforts must address the nutritional needs of Iraq’s children. A critical need exists for multivitamins, children’s chewables, pre-natal vitamins and Vitamin C to prevent scurvy.”  
 
Schiffer reported on plans for vitamin distribution as part of relief efforts in Iraq, where Vitamin Angel had been distributing vitamins before the war through Mother Teresa Orphanage and St. Raphael Hospital in Baghdad.  He also told of Vitamin Angel’s work in 40 other countries in 2002, when they distributed more than 12.6 million donated vitamin supplements to people in need.
 
Simon Marks, who had just returned from the Middle East hours earlier, spoke about the current situation in Iraq and his experiences covering the war. He emphasized the crucial need for swift relief efforts and rebuilding to win over the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people.   Marks, who was seen almost nightly on the Fox News Channel during the war, is president and chief correspondent for Feature News Story, a leading independent supplier of broadcast material based in Washington, D.C.
 
“Creating awareness of public service programs such as Vitamin Angel Alliance is another way we’re increasing positive media coverage of supplements,” said Benninger.  “Journalists can’t deny the health benefits of supplements when they are reporting on relief efforts in countries where vitamins are key to saving lives.”
 
Anyone interested in knowing more about Vitamin Angel Alliance can visit their Web site at www.vitaminangel.org <http://www.vitaminangel.org/>  .  For information about donating vitamins to the post-war relief effort, contact Howard Schiffer at (805)565-9919 or e-mail Howard@vitaminangel.org.
   
The Dietary Supplement Education Alliance (DSEA) is a non-profit industry coalition formed to provide consumers, health professionals and policymakers with the latest science-based information on the benefits of dietary supplements.  For further information about the DSEA or its consumer education initiative, the Dietary Supplement Information Bureau, should contact Deb Knowles at (941)349-9044 or e-mail her at debknowles@supplementinfo.org
 
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