NSF International and the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) recently announced their joint roles in administering a new nutritional front-of-package labeling program, the Smart Choices Program. This nutrition labeling program will provide manufacturers and retailers with a reliable front-of-pack icon plus calorie information that helps consumers recognize smarter food and beverage products within product categories.

The goal of this new labeling program is to bring consistency and clarity to the US marketplace, making it easier for consumers to quickly identify products and select smarter food and beverage choices within product categories. It provides an opportunity for manufacturers to communicate with consumers about better-for-you products in a clear and consistent manner.

ASN and NSF International will act as program administrators providing both scientific and technical expertise to a board of directors comprised of non-profit, scientific and industry representatives.

To qualify for the Smart Choices Program, all products must meet standards for specific “nutrients to limit,” and, for most categories, products must also meet criteria for positive attributes—“nutrients to encourage” or “food groups to encourage.” Specific qualifying criteria were developed for 19 different product categories such as beverages, cereals, meats, dairy and snacks:

• Nutrients to limit: total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, added sugars and sodium
• Nutrients to encourage: calcium, potassium, fiber, magnesium, vitamins A, C and E
• Food groups to encourage:  fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat or fat free dairy

Products that meet criteria are eligible to bear the Smart Choices icon on the front of the package. Accompanying the Smart Choices icon will be information on the number of calories per serving, as well as the number of servings in the package.

All information is publicly available on the program’s website at www.smartchoicesprogram.com.

In a joint initiative called “Unconventional Angels,” Vitamin Angels, along with The Organic Center and the Organic Trade Association, is unveiling a new cause-marketing coupon book program for health-conscious consumers that will help save them money on branded natural and organic products while saving up to four million children around the world at risk for malnutrition and childhood blindness due to lack of vitamin A in the diet.
 
The cause-marketing coupon book will feature branded products including dietary supplements, natural personal care products, natural foods, organic foods and other products. Approximately one million coupon books will be printed for distribution in October to tie in with Child Health Month.
 
For retailers, the cause-marketing program includes floor-shipper displays containing 750 coupon books each, shelf talkers, channel strips to highlight participating brands, a national ad campaign in leading consumer publications and websites, and interactive staff training materials.
 
Participating manufacturers of natural and organic products will garner good will by aligning their respective brands with the missions of Vitamin Angels, The Organic Center and the Organic Trade Association. Also, these manufacturers will gain national exposure through the program, and will capture loyal customers by offering valuable coupon discounts for their products. 

Additionally, the Unconventional Angels program will be celebrated with manufacturers and retailers of natural and organic products at a special reception and educational event on September 25 at Natural Products Expo East in Boston as part of Vitamin Angels’ annual Celebration of Angels event.

Natural and organic products retailers interested in participating in the Unconventional Angels cause-related coupon-marketing program can contact Andrea Porfidio at MusicMatters (the program’s marketing partner), (952) 426-7815 or andreap@musicmatters.net.

According to the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), nearly 20 internationally renowned experts from prestigious institutions in the US and Europe, including Harvard Medical School and the Karolinska University Hospital, recently gathered in Milan, Italy to discuss the latest research on isoflavones.

The first day of the CRN-sponsored meeting focused on research involving isoflavones and breast cancer, while the second day focused on evidence regarding the ability of isoflavones to alleviate menopausal symptoms. Collectively, the information presented made a strong case for concluding that isoflavones are safe for breast cancer patients and women at high risk of developing this disease—two questions which have recently been debated within the scientific community, CRN said.

Douglas MacKay, ND, vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs for CRN, also attended the meeting and was encouraged by the science surrounding isoflavones and menopausal symptoms. In fact, a recently completed systematic review and meta-analysis presented on the second day of the international meeting concluded that isoflavones significantly alleviate hot flash frequency and severity with an overall improvement of about 50 percent.

It is expected that much of the information presented at the meeting will be submitted for publication in a scientific or medical journal by the end of the summer, the agency noted. 

As the number of food and beverage products sweetened with stevia-based ingredients continues to grow in the United States and worldwide, the US Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention recently announced that new reference standards for Rebaudioside A and Stevioside are now available. The reference standards for these two ingredients complement the soon to be released written testing standard for high-purity Rebaudioside A in the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC), a collection of documentary standards for food ingredients that allow manufacturers to demonstrate the quality, and thus related aspects of safety, of the products they provide to consumers.

The reference standards for Rebaudioside A and Stevioside are authenticated pure chemicals against which both producers and purchasers can compare their ingredients to help ensure and substantiate the identity, quality, purity, strength and consistency of their food ingredient, protecting their products and brands from low-quality, potentially adulterated ingredients, thus helping to maintain food safety. The FCC and its associated reference standards are produced by USP, a nonprofit scientific organization that has set chemical standards for close to 200 years. These standards—for pharmaceuticals, excipients, dietary supplements and food ingredients—are used in more than 130 countries throughout the world. The new stevia standards demonstrate the commitment of USP to continue to support the food industry with quality monographs and reference standards.  
 
The new reference standards have been thoroughly tested and endorsed by USP’s Reference Standards Expert Committee, a group of independent volunteer experts, to ensure their suitability for use. The written FCC testing standard for high-purity Rebaudioside A is expected to be released August 31, 2009. For more information and to purchase the reference standards, visit www.usp.org/products/referenceStandards.

USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, in her keynote address at the Organic Trade Association (OTA) All Things Organic Conference and Trade Show, announced that an equivalency agreement has been reached between the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

This historic equivalency agreement will allow the continued smooth flow of certified organic products between the two countries. It is the first such equivalency agreement worldwide for the organic industry, OTA said.

The agreement, signed by the two government agencies, takes effect on June 30, and will allow certified organic products to move freely across the US and Canadian border provided they use the new Canada Organic Biologique label or the USDA Organic seal.

“This is the first step toward global harmonization of organic standards, and marks a historic moment for the organic community,” Merrigan told a standing room only audience at All Things Organic.

Organix-South, Inc. (Bowling Green, FL) is sponsoring a “Dog Days of Summer” promotion for retailers who carry its products.

“Current economic conditions mean that local shelters and rescue groups are taking in more dogs than ever, while adoptions and donations are at an all-time low,” said Autumn Blum, CEO. “We all need to do something to help these animals who are being abandoned through no fault of their own.”

Organix-South will provide up to four gallons of TheraNeem Pet Shampoo—enough to wash more than 700 small dogs—at no charge to local retailers who agree to host a charity dog wash, along with sample packs for supporters to take home. 

“Funds raised through the dog wash can be donated to local shelters, the ASPCA or Humane Societies or other recognized animal rescue programs,” said Blum. “This is a great and fun way we can work with our retailers and make a difference for our four-legged friends.”

The program runs July 1 through August 15 and is open to existing retailers as well as new accounts. Retailers may contact their sales broker or call the company.

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