With problems of recent online vendors claiming “cancer cures” for their supplements and sketchy advertising tainting the dietary supplement industry, the Natural Products Foundation (Washington, DC) has started a “Truth in Advertising” program that will enable manufacturers, ad agencies, media outlets or retailers to ensure that dietary supplement advertising messages are truthful and not misleading.

The Foundation is urging those involved in the dietary supplement industry to take this pledge to not condone misleading advertising, and to report it if seen.

As a participant in the program, the Foundation encourages those involved to use the program logo in printed and online materials to demonstrate support truth in advertising for dietary supplements.

The pledge involves certain promises to be made:
• Not making claims, either expressly or implied, that are not accurate and fail to adequately disclose qualifying information;
• Verifying that there is adequate substantiation for claims being made, including the level of support, type and quality of evidence presented, and relevance of the evidence to the claim;
• Not making claims through testimonials or expert endorsements that cannot be substantiated;
• Ensuring that claims based on traditional use have the appropriate substantiation or clearly communicate that the sole basis for the claim is its history of use for a particular purpose;
• Ensuring that claims are appropriate for dietary supplements and do not cause the product advertised to be a "drug" under the FDCA;
• Using the two-part disclaimer as stipulated by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994 when appropriate; and
• Strictly adhering to the use of "third party literature" as defined by DSHEA.

Natural Products Foundation will establish a reporting web page where consumers, competitors, retailers or any member of the public can report any advertising claim they believe to be fraudulent, misleading or untruthful. Foundation officials will review complaints and take appropriate and necessary action, which can include anything from contacting the responsible party for the questionable claim, to referral to the FTC for investigation.

For more information call (202) 204-4723 or visit www.naturalproductsfoundation.org to download the pledge form.

A new study has published in the journal Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology 2008; (26(3):484-91) discussing the association between the vitamin K-dependent protein osteocalcin and the incidence of low bone mass in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.  

In the study, high vitamin K status in healthy, as well as in diseased children—was found positively correlated with markedly better bone properties, whereas low blood concentrations of active osteocalcin, that are indicative of poor vitamin K status, were associated with a significant impairment in bone quality.

According to Leon Schurgers, PhD, one of the study's authors: “These findings suggest that improvement in vitamin K status, and thus in the amount of active osteocalcin, might significantly improve bone health in children, even in those with arthritis. Certainly in adults, low bone density and increased fracture risk are associated with low vitamin K status in bone.”

In the Western diet, vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) is found in leafy green vegetables, and vitamin K2 (menaquinones) is found in fermented foods including cheese, and in small amounts in egg yolk and meat.  Natural vitamin K2 is believed to provide the majority of vitamin K activity outside of the liver, contributing to bone and cardiovascular tissue health.

To avoid far-reaching negative consequences from vitamin k deficiency, European experts recommend increasing intake of the K vitamins through dietary supplements and food enrichment. Of the K Vitamins, the most active contributor to bone and vascular health is natural vitamin K2, especially the longer menaquinones, such as menaquinone-7.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) announced on August 4 that its members have adopted a new voluntary program for responsible marketing of Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Under the new program, CRN members agree to the following voluntary guidelines when marketing DHEA:

1. CRN members will refrain from marketing the DHEA products that they manufacture or market under their brands as providing a general anabolic steroid-like response (muscle enlargement, increased strength, etc.).

2. CRN members will not target those under 18 years old in their marketing or advertising of their DHEA-containing products, as this ingredient is unlikely to provide performance-enhancing benefits in this population.

“This is an important step forward in self-regulation by the dietary supplement industry, and we encourage other companies to join our members in following these guidelines,” said Steve Mister, president and CEO, CRN. “It’s disturbing to see some of the ads in magazines or online that promote DHEA as if it were a drug or anabolic steroid, when the fact is existing research has not demonstrated that kind of effect. Advertising that overpromises results leads to consumer confusion and casts a negative shadow over the entire industry.”

According to Nutrition Business Journal, U.S. annual sales of DHEA are $49 million.
For more information, visit http://www.crnusa.org/pdfs/CRN_DHEA_BasicFacts.pdf.

Capsugel, dosage form developer and manufacturer, has received certification from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), a division of the Australian Department of Health and Ageing, for its Licaps® liquid-fill capsule production facility in Greenwood, SC.

The TGA is Australia’s principal regulatory authority for all therapeutic goods, including pharmaceuticals, dietary and nutritional supplements, as well as complementary medicines. Lawful sale of such products in Australia requires that the product is included on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). To obtain certification, which is product-specific, a marketer must demonstrate compliance with TGA requirements. One such requirement is that the manufacturing operations used to produce the product meets the current Australian Code of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) for Medicinal Products.  

“The Australian GMP code is very thorough because it covers all medicines and is highly respected by many regulatory authorities around the world.  In conjunction with the growing demand for products that utilize the Licaps liquid delivery system, our customers can now more readily access important global markets.  Certainly, our experience is that the important benefits of the Licaps delivery system, which include heightened consumer preference and improved bioavailability, address global needs,” said Robert Whitelaw, director of sales, marketing and business development for Capsugel’s Americas Region.

With this TGA certification in place for a key manufacturing operation, marketers can more readily expand their product lines delivered via the Licaps technology into the Australian market—as well as elsewhere around the world because of the certification’s high credibility.

OTA in partnership with Diversified Business Communications, will co-locate its 2009 All Things Organic Conference and Trade Show with two cultural food events—Expo Comida Latina and All Asia Food—June 16-18, 2009, at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.

The All Things Organic Conference and Trade Show will mark its ninth year in 2009 and is the definitive annual meeting place of the North American organic business community, with an extensive conference program and a trade show floor featuring only certified organic products and products approved for use in organic processing. The show has grown from 100 exhibitors in the 2001 inaugural event in Austin, TX, to over 600 booths of organic products and services and a buying audience of 12,000 in 2008. One hundred percent of revenue OTA receives from All Things Organic is reinvested in programs that support the organic business community.

Expo Comida Latina and All Asia Food are the leading Hispanic and Asian food shows in North America. As such, they focus on the food and beverage buying trends of the growing Hispanic and Asian American populations in the US. The launch of the 2009 event in Chicago will be in addition to an event Oct. 13-14, 2008, in Los Angeles. These events offer food and beverage buyers across mainstream retail and foodservice, ethnic markets and restaurants, distribution and manufacturing an opportunity for face-to-face meetings, networking, education, and a resource for authentic products and ingredients from exhibitors around the world, including pavilions and representation from the US, Canada, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Turtle Island Foods (Hood River, OR), makers of Tofurky brand meat alternatives, and The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) are teaming up on a new project called “Tofurky Tuesdays” to offer consumers a fun and practical way to reduce their impact on global warming and to try vegetarian foods at least once a week.
 
Those interested in participating in the new initiative can visit Turtle Island Foods’ website to pledge to eat meat-free once a week. Participants will receive a Tofurky Tuesdays Care Package, which includes two complementary magazines regarding vegetarian eating and educational materials on vegetarian nutrition.

Turtle Island Food calculated that the amount of greenhouse gas emissions reduced by going meatless just one day a week is equal to the amount released when you drive a car that averages 20mpg 16.5 miles. For each individual who registers for Tofurky Tuesdays, the Tofurkymobile will move 16.5 miles on a virtual trip around the lower 48 states.

More than 650 individuals signed up during the first fourteen days the “Tofurky Tuesdays” campaign. The Tofurkymobile—which originated in Hood River, OR, where Tofurky products are made, has thus far logged 10,956 virtual miles.

Seth Tibbott, CEO of Turtle Island Foods and creator of Tofurky brand products, said, “We’re proud to be working with The Humane Society to tackle global warming. The United Nations has pointed out that animal agriculture is a greater global warming culprit than automobiles. Savoring meat-free meals each Tuesday is a great way to prevent the inhumane treatment of animals and protect the planet.”
 
Visit www.tofurky.com or www.humanesociety.org for more information.