The 2008 Healthy Harvest Show will be held September 26 through 28, 2008 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, CA. The Healthy Harvest Show is the official tradeshow and convention of the Natural Products Association West (NPA-West).

The show’s return to Long Beach follows last year’s record-setting event at the same southern California location. The 2007 Healthy Harvest Show in Long Beach more than doubled its overall attendance from the prior year’s show in Santa Clara, in addition to achieving a record-setting number of exhibitors.

“We are very excited to bring the Healthy Harvest Show back to Long Beach, which is in close proximity to the largest concentration of natural products retailers in the nation,” said Daniel McSweeney, president of show organizer TLC Tradeshow Productions (Ojai, CA). “We expect this year’s show to be even better than last year, as we build upon the momentum created in 2007 at Long Beach.”

TLC Tradeshow Productions recently named Megan Starks as trade show director, replacing Terri Curry McSweeney who has left the company to pursue other interests. Starks was previously the development coordinator at Vitamin Angels, the Santa Barbara, CA-based charitable organization that provides nutritional supplements to children in developing countries around the world.

Starks will be joined by NPA-West Executive Director Dot Boyd and TLC Tradeshow Productions’ Ann Tisserand in coordinating the 2008 Healthy Harvest Show.

“I look forward to building upon the success of last year’s show and making the 2008 Healthy Harvest Show in Long Beach our best event ever,” Starks said. “Booth sales are now underway and I encourage manufacturers to reserve their booth space soon as we are projecting a complete sell-out this year.”

For more information about the 2008 Healthy Harvest show, visit www.healthyharvestshow.com, or contact Starks directly at 805-646-4246 or via email at Megan@healthyharvestshow.com.

NOW Foods’ (Bloomingdale, IL) Nutrition Education Manager Neil Levin has been selected to receive the 2008 Industry Champion award by the Natural Products Association (NPA). The awards will be given at the NPA’s Natural Marketplace trade show to be held July 17 through 19, 2008 in Las Vegas.

The Industry Champion awards are given to people who have made notable individual contributions to the industry above and beyond what is expected to achieve commercial success.

Levin is a nutritionist, educator and product formulator at NOW Foods, a natural food, dietary supplement and personal care manufacturer and distributor. While he does all these things for his company, he also spends many hours as one of the most effective industry champions, responding to negative media stories in detail, using his scientific and nutritional knowledge and credentials to put clinical studies in perspective and correct inaccurate media representations, the company said. Levin’s articles and letters to the editor have been published by dozens of print and online publications, including medical journals. Many of his articles are archived on his blog www.honestnutrition.com. He is also active in advocacy work, leading national and state lobbying efforts.

Levin is a member of the Scientific Council of the national Clinical Nutrition Certification Board and is on the board of directors of the Mid-American Health Organization (MAHO), the Midwest regional affiliate of the Natural Products Association.

IP Australia has recently granted patent protection to LycoRed for an important invention in the field of skin care. The innovation is a carotenoid composition of lycopene, phytoene, phytofluene and optionally vitamin E that protects the skin from the damaging effects of UV radiation. The novelty of this invention lies in the fact that it is not, as one might expect, a topical application.

Rather, LycoRed's researchers have come up with a natural tomato carotenoid composition that helps prevent sunburn when taken orally. This novel cosmeceutical preparation can be delivered via a dietary supplement or in a fortified food or beverage.

"Up until now, the dominant means for supplementing the diet with important nutrients was via capsules. What we offer here, is quite unique," states Zohar Nir, PhD, LycoRed's vice president of new product development. "This is a natural lycopene composition that can be either encapsulated in a soft gel or easily added to a beverage to create a year round fortified sun protection drink. While it does not replace topical sunscreen, when taken daily, it provides a degree of both UVA and UVB protection even during months of the year when one is not likely to apply a topical lotion."

"Flexibility is key," said Nir. "We need to meet the needs of today’s consumers, and while the convenience of a capsule may work for some, others will welcome these sun protection ingredients in a more traditional food form, like a juice drink. LycoRed can supply a variety of ingredient options to support the new cosmeceutical concept."

The antioxidant activity of lycopene is well established. Research supporting this patent yielded two very important findings: First, natural lycopene is more effective than synthetic in protecting the skin from UV damage. Second, natural lycopene's efficacy is improved when combined with phytoene, phytofluene and vitamin E other antioxidants found naturally in the tomato.

LycoRed, with regional facilities in the US, Europe and Israel, supplies natural carotenoids and a wide range of other nutritional and colorant ingredients to the dietary supplement, functional food and cosmetic industries, worldwide.

The Global Probiotics Council (GPC), a committee established in 2004 by Groupe DANONE and Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd., announced the Young Investigator Grant for probiotics research program (YIGPRO). The two annual grants are designed to stimulate innovative research, support young investigators and attract new researchers in the US into the field of probiotics and gut microbiota.

"Our two companies have demonstrated their long-standing commitment to advancing research in probiotics. This field continues to be one of the most promising for more discoveries that will benefit human health, which is why Danone and Yakult decided in 2004 to join forces and further encourage more research in a larger number of countries," said Sven Thormahlen, executive vice president research and development, Danone Research.

"Emerging science on the regular consumption of probiotic-containing products shows how these products can help to regulate the intestinal ecosystem and benefit health,” saidRyuji Chino, senior managing director for Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd. “These grants will enable young investigators who are senior fellows or junior faculty to further explore the health benefits of probiotics. These grants will also further advance understanding about the relationship between probiotics and the intestinal flora and are anticipated to expand the already stable research platform.”

Each Young Investigator Grant for Probiotic Research will provide $50,000 over one year, and will provide opportunity for researchers in the fields of gastroenterology, immunology, genetics, molecular biology, cell biology, microbiology and infectious disease to foster innovative ideas, sustain independence and advance science. Research applications should contribute to knowledge about gut microbiota or the role of intestinal flora in health and disease.

The supporters of the grant, Groupe DANONE and Yakult Honsha, Ltd., are the leading global companies researching probiotics with academic approaches.

Application procedures and additional details on the Young Investigator Grant for Probiotics Research program can be found at www.probioticsresearch.com.

Honest Tea and Coca-Cola announced that Coke, the world’s largest beverage company, will purchase a 40 percent stake in Honest Tea—the nation’s No. 1 selling brand of organic bottled tea.
 
Founded by social entrepreneur and TeaEO Seth Goldman 10 years ago, Honest Tea has been on the leading edge of mission-driven businesses, helping to set the bar for organic, sustainability, Fair Trade and workplace excellence.

As Coke becomes Honest Tea’s largest shareholder, Goldman said, “Despite our 66 percent annual compound growth rate (70 percent in 2007), we still aren’t reaching all the people we want to reach. We want to see Honest be an agent of change not just through the example it sets but through its own actions as well.”
 
Goldman continued, “The risks of this kind of transaction are obvious, but I’ve seen it work firsthand with my board member Gary Hirshberg at Stonyfield Farm, who continues to lead the enterprise and the organic food movement with all the fire and wisdom that he had when Groupe Danone purchased 40 percent of Stonyfield in 2001.”
 
Honest Tea will continue to operate as an independent business with the same leadership and commitment to its mission.

David Smith, co-founder of Sweet Leaf Tea, commented on the merger. “This is an exciting time for the beverage industry. Coca-Cola’s interest in the organic and beverage category goes to reinforce the endless opportunities for companies in this sector.
 
Smith added, ”Right now we are focused on continuing to build a sustainable brand and great product people love. We have never had a ‘plan’ to sell, but if the opportunity arises, we will have to ask ourselves, ‘What would Granny do?’”

In an interview with reporter Samuel Fromartz posted on Chew Wise website, Goldman responded to industry criticism: “I believe in what we're doing and what we're selling. When we sell a bottle of tea that's grown organically and often with fair trade, we're doing a good thing for the ecosystem, for the people who picked the tea leaves and for the people who drink the tea who are getting a healthier product.

“If you believe that, then you have a responsibility to sell as much of it as you can,” Goldman continued. “Buying 2.5 million pounds of organic ingredients, as we do, is a notable thing, but it doesn't change markets, it doesn't change the landscape of agriculture in tea fields. When we go to 25 million pounds, then you'll start seeing some of the larger suppliers say, 'Wait a minute, we're going to have to change things. We can't use chemical pesticides and herbicides—we have to find a way to grow the leaves and our business in harmony with our environment.'

“And when we look at consumers, selling 30 million bottles is good,” he added. “But if you think about what happens when we get to 300 million or 3 billion bottles, then you start changing the diet of people in this country and have a huge impact. I firmly believe a partner like Coca Cola can help us achieve that.”

Manitoba Harvest (Winnipeg, MB), a hemp foods pioneer, that is crossing the sea to exhibit Hemp Bliss organic hemp milk and its full line of healthy hemp foods at BioFach, the largest organic trade show in the world, from February 21 through 24, 2008. The BioFach event (www.biofach.de), which is held annually in Nuremberg, Germany, will feature more than 2,500 exhibitors, and will attract more than 45,000 retailers and industry experts from more than 100 countries.

Hemp foods are one of the hottest health food trends in North America, growing 39 percent from 2006 to 2007, and now Manitoba Harvest is expanding swiftly into international markets to capitalize on emerging global interest. “Our products have been available in Japan and the United Kingdom for a couple of years, but interest is really picking up in other countries where organic lifestyles and awareness of hemp’s nutritional value and culinary merits are growing,” said Mike Fata, president and co-founder of Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods & Oils.

Manitoba Harvest has recently gained orders in Sweden, and is expected to be on store shelves in Australia this month. “We’re capitalizing on our decade of experience as a hemp foods innovator in North America to penetrate dynamic organic markets in Europe with hemp products that are easy to try,” said Fata. “People everywhere are finding out that hemp foods and drinks are extremely nutritious—and then they try them and discover that they have a delicious nutty flavor and gourmet appeal.”

A nutritious alternative to dairy, soy and grain-based drinks, Hemp Bliss is the first line of organic hemp milks. Hemp Bliss naturally provides a boost of 1,200 mg of omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) and 5 g of protein per serving. Overall, it contains more omega-3, -6 and - 9 EFAs than any milk including dairy and other alternatives such as soy, rice and almond. “Foods that offer omega-3 essential fatty acids like hemp are hot because medical evidence touting the health benefits continues to grow,” said Fata. In addition to the EFAs, hemp seed offers an impressive digestible protein profile, a bunch of healthy fiber and an abundance of vitamins and minerals.

With Chocolate, Vanilla and Original varieties, Hemp Bliss is offered in a 32-oz. carton for $4.99 and is widely available in stores throughout the US and Canada. In addition to Hemp Bliss, Manitoba Harvest produces organic cold-pressed Hemp Seed Oil, Shelled Hemp Seed, Hemp Seed Butter and Hemp Protein Powder.

In Germany, Manitoba Harvest hopes to follow-up on the vigorous momentum provided by the Best New Food Product Award that the company earned at the Natural Products Expo East trade show, the biggest organic and natural products event in North America, held in Baltimore in September of 2007.

For more information, visit www.manitobaharvest.com or call (800) 665-HEMP.