Not-for-Profits Critical - Especially in Challenging Times
[2010/01/25] [NPIcenter]
As we launch aggressively into 2010, it’s often easy to forget that not all of the activities that make this industry so great are initiated or directed by the ‘for profit’ sector.
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A Year in Preview
[2010/01/12] [NPIcenter]
For some it was with a sigh of relief that they said good-bye to 2009 and ushered in 2010. Yet for many, one perception would be that industry had, for the most part, weathered much of the economic and regulatory storm well, emerging if not actually stronger, then at least a bit more confident of its own resilience. For the most part though, 2009 will go down as an opportunity for reflection, reorganization, repositioning and a whole pile of other ‘r’ words that presumably prepare our sector to be even more competitive and more a part of the integrated health solutions dialogue of the future.
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Editorial: Recap From the Road Weary
[2009/11/23] [By Len Monheit]
It's been a tiring few weeks. First it was a press trip on the front end of SupplySide West in Las Vegas, then that event itself, immediately followed by a trip to Frankfurt, Germany for Food Ingredients Europe. So now this road-weary writer will try to collect a few thoughts and place them in some sort of meaningful context...
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Editorial: Dr. Joshua Sharfstein at the Annual CRN Conference: Between the Lines
[2009/11/02] [By Len Monheit]
One of the predictable takeaways of last week's annual CRN conference was the opportunity to interact with regulatory leaders to gauge their priorities related to the industry, and to assess, what, if anything, industry should specifically and immediately do to prevent legislative catastrophe.
Ever since Congressman Waxman published his book, "The Waxman Report: How Congress Really Works," (actually even before it) rumor has abounded that a new attack on DSHEA was imminent. With several key associates in prominent positions, it was argued, it was only a matter of time before an outright attack would occur, likely with pressure from a number of places, and the appointment of Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, as Principal Deputy Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration was one such potential trigger. So it was with a lot of interest that I awaited Dr. Sharfstein's CRN presentation at Terranea Resort in Southern California last week.
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Editorial: Stevia Category Entries Proliferate - How Sweet Is It?
[2009/10/19] [By Len Monheit]
In late 2008, the North American food and beverage industry received news that would alter the (caloric) balance of its world forever. The first stevia-derived sweetener, a product standardized to a compound called Rebaudioside-A or Reb-A had received FDA GRAS approval, and could be included in food and beverage formulations...
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EFSA's Article 13.1 Opinions Set a New Bar for Claims
[2009/10/13] [By Andrew Stewart]
Last week, the European Food Safety Authority panel on dietetic products, nutrition and allergies (NDA) released the first of their opinions in regards to Article 13.1 claims in Europe...
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Editorial: Musings from Expo East
[2009/09/29] [By Len Monheit]
We’re back from Boston and the latest industry event, Expo East, held at the Boston Convention Center last week. This was the second such event in Boston, and there’s no denying that the floor was noticeably smaller compared to a year ago. Couple the economy with some geographical and other challenges and many people expected a lot worse than they got. You see, a funny thing happened on the way to the show…
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Editorial: Natural Products Industry on the Move – to Boston
[2009/09/21] [By Len Monheit]
Industry is on the move. This time it's literal. Later this week thousands will descend on Boston for Natural Products Expo East, an event that officially kicks of the fall show schedule and provides an opportunity for industry to gather, socialize, remember, commiserate and so much more.
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NPI Bites Review: OhYeah! Protein Bars
[2009/09/11] [By Andrew Stewart]
A review of iSS' OhYeah! protein bars.
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Editorial: Fiber Revisited: New Tricks for an Old Dog?
[2009/09/08] [By Len Monheit]
Industry often finds itself in the great position of being able to clarify what consumers have known for decades, putting this knowledge in a current 'context' of 'health information' so that consumers can benefit from emerging science and product news...
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Editorial: A Political Front Row Seat
[2009/08/10] [By Len Monheit]
This past week, I had the opportunity to listen from the ‘front row’ to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) address an event here in Colorado, supporting freshmen members of Congress and talking about various subjects. I made a note to myself on a couple points relating to healthcare, and a set of circumstances that, at very least, frustrate logic.
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Editorial: View from the Summit - a Look Around the Supplement Sector
[2009/07/27] [By Len Monheit]
I've always found the NBJ Summit one of the most interesting experiences of the year, and last week was no exception...
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Editorial: A Half Year in Perspective – Navigating Challenging Times
[2009/07/06] [By Len Monheit]
A week ago, the official date for compliance with supplement GMPs passed for US mid-sized companies. A couple weeks earlier, Natural Products Association CEO David Seckman announced his resignation to assume responsibilities with the Food Processing Suppliers Association, which even earlier, had announced its intention to partner with IFT for an upcoming event in Chicago next year.
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Editorial: Musings on Anaheim – Reflections on IFT 2009
[2009/06/22] [By Len Monheit]
Like returning to the scene of a crime (or in this case a great industry event), the recent trip to Anaheim for the 2010 IFT Conference and Expo provided an opportunity to reflect on a year half gone, opportunities ahead, and a chance to participate in an Anaheim event that frankly lacked any of the energy and vibe of Expo West and SupplyExpo held three months earlier. While I must admit that I didn't expect to see the exuberance of Expo reflected in IFT, even I was surprised.
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Editorial: Supplements in the Crosshairs
[2009/06/01] [By Len Monheit]
Amidst the calls for more supplement regulation, industry detractors must be watching with glee. We now see signs that stevia is being deliberately adulterated, the sports nutrition/weight loss category is reeling with the Hydroxycut recall (apparently the specific ingredient culprit may never be found), there is obviously a new sheriff in town, and there will soon be fallout from inspection results as FDA inspectors begin setting their sights on the mid-size companies which become bound by the supplement GMP regulations for the first time at the end of this month.
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Editorial: A Case of Catch Up
[2009/05/20] [By Len Monheit]
It's been a few busy weeks since I've last weighed in and analyzed the state of the industry. In that time, some have travelled to Secaucus, New Jersey, others to VitaFoods in Geneva, Switzerland, while others, in some cases mired in the slowing economic cycle, have been buffeted by repeated negative headlines.
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Editorial: Not the Time to 'Flu' Around
[2009/05/04] [By Len Monheit]
When you're in business, there is a natural reaction that forces you to consume any piece of news with a business filter evaluating the significance of the piece of information relative to the opportunity it provides your business. Unfortunately for our industry, many of the organizations representing themselves as part of our industry do not have a practical or moral counter-check that stops them from doing public harm and from violating regulations as they take advantage of these stories and another common human failing – gullibility.
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Editorial: Supplements in the News - On Any Given Day
[2009/04/20] [By Len Monheit]
On any given day, chances are there's either a deficit or the results are neutral when you do a news search on a subject like 'dietary supplements'. The personal news filter I use on a daily basis gave me some interesting results today and as it touches a few areas near and dear to my heart, I figured the results were worth talking about.
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Editorial: A Week in Review – Focus on CHFA Expo West
[2009/04/07] [By Len Monheit]
I've just returned from Vancouver, site of the Canadian Health Food Association's Expo West, 2009. Apart from the opportunity to visit one of North America's finest cities, the event gave me time to reconnect with Canadian industry colleagues, evaluate industry performance in these challenging times, determine whether the momentum evident at Expo West in Anaheim had transferred north, and of course, validate some of my own perception on behavior and opportunity in the health and nutrition space.
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Editorial: Industry Weather Forecast: Storm Front Emerging
[2009/03/30] [By Len Monheit]
As the general economy weathers the current fits and starts, the industry economy seems to be much more in control of its destiny with positive news outweighing negativity, continuing the suggestion that health, nutrition and lifestyle choice remain consumer priorities. Is all really rosy in the world of supplements or are things looming behind the scenes?
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Editorial: A Capital Formula
[2009/03/23] [By Len Monheit]
I read in the news this morning that Suncor was to acquire PetroCanada, a takeover made desirable due to the current low price of oil and the 'desire for shareholders to see the company do something,' according to one report. Is investor impatience a potential driver of new money to our industry?
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Editorial: Musings from Expo
[2009/03/16] [By Len Monheit]
I’ve now had a bit of a chance to regroup after Expo, and hope you have as well. An intense five days (considering Nutracon and Expo combined) has been followed by a week of retrospective, follow up dialogue, and perspective sharing, allowing me to download a few lingering thoughts from the week in Anaheim. Among those lingering issues are education, weight loss ingredients, and the state of readiness for supplement GMPs.
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Editorial: Natural Products Industry Roars in Anaheim
[2009/03/10] [By Len Monheit]
Probably the best part of attending Nutracon, Expo West and SupplyExpo this past week was being so busy that I could avoid the mass media headlines for the better part of a week. And so, as much of the rest of the business world was inundated with the latest negative data, I was one of many thousands who could appreciate an important phenomena developing.
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Editorial: Industry's March Madness
[2009/02/23] [By Len Monheit]
Every year, at about this time, most of us go through this frenetic series of last minute preparations as we launch ourselves on Anaheim for Expo West, SupplyExpo and Nutracon. This year will be no exception, although the attitude may be even more determined than in years past, as those experienced understand that while wishing cannot exactly make it so, wishing can at least provide both an economic and emotional stimulus, and our industry too can benefit from both.
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Editorial: Is Neutral the New Up?
[2009/02/17] [By Len Monheit]
It's been a rough couple weeks for the dietary supplements sector. A study recently published in the Archives of Internal Medicine failed to show any correlation between multivitamin consumption and risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, merely the latest in an accumulating list of neutral, non-supportive studies involving supplements and natural health products. It's been said that in the current economy, flat is the new up, perhaps it can also be said that for dietary supplements, neutral (as in no clear benefit as related in a study) is also the new up.
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