Industry News
March 31 , 2010
“The most important role of our organizations is advocacy. Bad ideas that are enacted in one state can spread to others,” said John Gay, NPA executive director and CEO, “so we have already begun interviewing candidates to fill a newly created state government relations position to address that threat. Over the years, NPA has provided a great deal of support in those regions, so we are well positioned to play a greater role.”
Recently, the NPA board of directors voted to accept the unanimous recommendation of the NPA Governance Committee to revoke the charters of the NPA West and NPA Rocky Mountain regions. This action was taken after those regions were unable to meet organizational requirements instituted in November 2008.
“It is critically important that we maintain a high level of effectiveness in representing the industry—both at the national and regional levels,” said NPA President Pat Sardell, “so this decision, while difficult, was necessary and will ensure a stronger future for the entire natural products industry.”
For more information, call (202) 223-0101 or visit www.npainfo.org.
“On a practical level, products that meet the NPA standard will not need to repeat the full certification process for the NaTrue label, and vice versa,” said Daniel Fabricant, PhD, Natural Products Association vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs. “Our goal has always been to protect the integrity of the word ‘natural’ when it comes to personal care. This agreement with NaTrue will help consumers at the point of sale in identifying a wider array of truly natural cosmetics.”
“Both associations are based on similar values and this is reflected in the fact that both standards have strict criteria that leave no room for black holes,” added Julie Tyrrell, NaTrue general secretary. “It is only logical that comparable standards cooperate instead of competing against each other. With the mutual recognition we offer label users easy access to the most important markets worldwide. This is what consumers expect.”
The NPA standard was launched in May 2008 and more than 340 products and ingredients have been certified to date. The NaTrue standard was launched in September 2008 with over 390 products certified, including natural, made with organic and organic products, and is now open to raw material certification. Several hundred other products are in the process of being certified by both trade associations.
Both parties hope to have the formal agreement in effect by summer of 2010.
For more information, contact NPA at (202) 223-0101 or visit www.npainfo.org.
“In supporting OTA’s proposal for organic foods to have a role in healthy school feeding programs, Senator Brown as sponsor and Senator Leahy as co-sponsor of the amendment have taken the first step to help include organic products and all that they offer into national children’s feeding programs. The health status of our children is crucial to the well being of our nation’s future, and the food that they are fed in schools is key to their health status,” said Christine Bushway, OTA’s executive director.
The amendment would authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to establish an organic food pilot program that would provide grants on a competitive basis to school food authorities to increase the amount of organic foods provided to schoolchildren under the school feeding program. The appropriations request for carrying out such an initiative for fiscal years 2011 through 2015 was set at $10 million. Current nutrition programs receive about $16 billion annually. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act would provide about $4.5 billion over 10 years for expanding and new programs.
Bushway noted that Senate Agriculture Committee passage is just the first step in the legislative process. OTA plans to continue to inform Congress about the value of this pilot project as the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 moves toward final adoption.
The Ojio product lineup includes clear agave nectar and powders, cacao beans, powder, nibs and pastes, goji berries, golden berries, maca powder, hemp seeds and hemp flour, and more.
“Our goal for Ojio is to reach beyond the core organic consumer,” said Robert Williams, director of sourcing and new product development. “We should be the starting point for every health conscious consumer who is making the conversion to more nutritious, mineral-rich foods. Our goal is for them to improve the value of their overall diets. We believe consumers are ready to embrace health as opposed to simply fighting disease.”
For more information, call (800) 728-2066 or visit www.ultimatesuperfoods.com.
The new Lallemand Health Ingredients entity is dedicated to providing premium health ingredients to the dietary food supplements and food markets worldwide. Its product portfolio consists of three ranges of ingredients: herbals, in particular clinically-supported whole cranberry powder as well as a whole range of premium cranberry ingredients and other natural antioxidants; minerals and vitamins, enriched yeasts and other healthy yeasts derivatives, including the Lalmin® range of bioavailable essential minerals; and probiotic species and blends including Rosell probiotic bacteria strains and LAFTI® documented strains recently acquired from DSM Food Specialties (available for dietary supplements and food applications except dairies).
For more information, visit www.lallemandhi.com.
The new pharma-grade equipment will also allow Kelatron to increase processing capabilities and offer a myriad of pure mineral chelates, including micronized options for soft gel applications.
For more information, call (800) 201-6896 or visit www.kelatroncorp.com.