Natural Products Insider

Blake Ebersole, president, NaturPro Scientific, reviews delivery considerations that are essential to a product’s success.

Good laboratory practices (GLPs) may not be legally required in full for supplement testing labs to follow in the U.S., but they are best practices that quality brands should demand of their contract lab partners. As Jen Johansen, vice president of quality, regulatory and government affairs, Cyanotech Corp., explains, GLPs are a set of principles and requirements for testing procedures, facilities, personnel, methods and references standards. GLPs are part of a larger quality system to ensure test results are reliable and consistent. While GLPs are not outlined in full in the dietary supplement regulations, sections of the mandated GMPs (good manufacturing practices) overlap with GLPs.

Although the probiotics market is showing some signs of maturation, industry analysts indicate the category has merely established a firm foundation from which to extend growth in many directions. NMI’s Diane Ray, John Davidson from Deerland Probiotics & Enzymes, and Scott Bush of Probiotic Consulting lend their expertise to this audio report gauging the future of probiotics.

Supplement brands should conduct paper audits—reviews of documentation and questionnaires—before they visit a potential contract lab partner in a person. Should red flags appear during the paper audit, the brand will know this lab isn’t the best partner, saving them the time and costs of an onsite inspection, notes Tara Lin Couch, Ph.D., senior director of dietary supplement and tobacco services, EAS Consulting Group LLC. In this podcast, Couch speaks about contract lab audits and requalification, as well as other ways to vet contract labs before partnering with them with Sandy Almendarez, editor in chief, Natural Products INSIDER.

The most common violations of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) are failing to develop a foreign supplier verification program (FSVP) and not identifying hazards that require a control, according to FDA audits analyzed by Registrar Corp. These violations show that the U.S. food industry is falling below expected standards, said Coley Anderson, industry and government relations director, Registrar Corp. In this podcast Coley discusses FSMA audit violations and how food brands can better comply with the law with Natural Product INSIDER’s editor-in-chief Sandy Almendarez.

While it’s a trend, interest in plant-based eating is a macro trend that’s not going to strop anytime soon. I think we’ll continue to see growth of plant-based ingredients across all food segments, said Ed Dudley, director of technical and analytical innovation at Griffith Foods.

For many brands, Amazon is the 800-pound gorilla—a channel that could boost your product to great consumer success, or prove a distraction that pulls attention from established distribution. What it can’t be is ignored. In this SupplySide West edition of the Healthy INSIDER Podcast, Chris Rawlings, founder of Judolaunch (judolaunch.com), discusses how to take advantage of the real estate that is your Amazon product listing. Understand the impact that images, descriptions, SEO and reviews have on brand success is the first step toward achieving it. Chris will be presenting at SupplySide West in Las Vegas on the SupplySide Central Stage; his talk, “Formulas for the Perfect Product Listing on Amazon,” takes place Friday, Oct. 18, at 10:30 a.m. In this podcast, Rawlings and Informa’s Heather Granato discuss: • The unique requirements to keep in mind when writing copy for Amazon listings and how it differs from straight marketing and packaging copy. • Differences between reviews and seller feedback, and the be

Naturally Proud Network supports LGBTQ+ people in the natural products industry -- podcast Profession support and networking opportunities for LGBTQ+ individuals in the health and nutrition industry was long overdue when the Naturally Proud Network was launched on LinkedIn in 2017. The group offers LGBTQ+ visibility and sends the important message that it’s OK to be yourself at work, according to Ken Seguine, co-founder, Naturally Proud Network, and head of Algatech US. In this podcast with Sandy Almendarez, editor in chief, Natural Products INSIDER, Seguine discusses the Naturally Proud Network’s origin, goals and future.

Environmental and social stewardship are the heart of Nutiva’s business plan, according to Derek McNamara, senior purchasing manager, so the plant-based organic superfoods brand strives to offer sustainable packaging, including recyclable and compostable options. In this podcast with Sandy Almendarez, editor in chief, INSIDER, McNamara covers Nutiva’s packaging and other eco-friendly initiatives.

Natural colors and flavors come with their own set of challenges for companies but the payoff can be substantial. Food and beverage brands should take notice of how important consumer perception of natural colors and flavors can be. In this SupplySide West edition of the Natural Products Insider (INS) podcast, Connor Lovejoy, assistant editor, sits down with Tom Vierhile, vice president of strategic insights, North America, Innova Market Insights to discuss: • Natural colors and flavors trends • Innova-specific data on consumer behavior • Natural colors and flavors technology • Natural colors and flavors outlook To hear more about Tom Vierhile's insights into natural colors and flavors take a look at his SupplySide West Workshop: Colors & Flavors: Superheroes of Product Success, Thursday, Oct. 17, 9-11 a.m. in Las Vegas.

Increasing the amount of recyclable packaging is currently the best solution to the natural product industry’s contribution to landfills, according to Jeremiah C. McElwee, senior vice president of merchandising and product development, Thrive Market. But the goal is to one day offer a package that benefits the environment and consumer, rather than being garbage. Packaging can one day be regenerative rather than sustainable or destructive. In this podcast with Sandy Almendarez, editor in chief, INSIDER, McElwee discusses his passion for finding a packaging solution.

Seed genetics are emerging as a paramount first step in quality-control efforts. Tim Gordon, president of Bihar Hemp, walks us through the issues.

“Our shareholders aren’t the only ones we’re responsible to,” noted Stacey Gillespie, director of product Strategy, Gaia Herbs Inc. “The environment is our stakeholder,” she said, and that is why the herbal supplement brand dedicates itself to improving the sustainability of packaging among other initiatives to ensure the company follows earthy-friendly practices. Gaia Herbs is part of the Climate Collaborative, a natural products industry organization where businesses join forces to reverse climate change. Gaia helps in this way by using cartons made from 100% recycled paperboard sourced from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified forests. In 2018, Gaia saved over 742,000 gallons of water; 511,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of Power and 347 cubic yards of landfill space by using ecofriendly packaging. In this podcast, Gillespie is joined by Alison Czeczuga, sustainability and social impact manager, Gaia Herbs, to discuss the company’s commitment to sustainable packaging with Sandy Almendarez, editor in chief,

Natural colors and flavors play an unheralded role in the reception a consumer will give a product. Food and beverage brands have to come to grips with the realization that complex trends in the natural colors and flavors industry can make or break their product. In this SupplySide West edition of the Natural Products Insider (INS) podcast, Connor Lovejoy, assistant editor, INS, sits down with Suzy Badaracco, president of Culinary Tides Inc. to discuss: • Natural colors and flavors background. • Natural colors and flavors birth patterns. • Technical direction for natural colors and flavors. • Consumer research for color and flavor trends in food and beverage.

When it comes to almond farming, sustainability is the name of the game. Almond Board of Caifornia associate director of trade marketing and stewardship Harbinder Maan joins Alex Smolokoff to discuss what the Almond Board of California is, how it encourages sustainable growing practices and environmental responsibility, and what goals it has helped set for the industry at large.

CPG brands across all sectors must consider the sustainability of their packages, and this is particularly true for those in the natural products industry. Consumers want to avoid plastic and would rather spend their money on products that come in compostable, reusable and recyclable packages; however, they are not willing to give up convenience, according to Steve French, managing partner, Natural Marketing Institute (NMI). In this podcast with Sandy Almendarez, editor in chief, INSIDER, French discusses consumer desires for CPG packaging

Evolution of the cognitive health market is shaped by numerous consumer trends, but perhaps none as impactful as growing interest in healthy aging.

In this SupplySide West edition of the Healthy INSIDER Podcast, Susan Hewlings, Nutrasource, reviews factors that impact sleep quality and offers insight to improve sleep habits.

Health and nutrition brands are dedicated to the health of consumers and the planet, taking care to ensure products are organic, Fair Trade certified and regenerative. The packages that house those products, however, have continued to be a pain point. Packaging options, especially the popular flexible pouches, often don’t live up to the same level of integrity as the products themselves because they aren’t compostable or recyclable. The Compostable Packaging Collaborative, an initiative from OSC2, gathers natural product leaders to address this packaging concern and continues to make advancements to further sustainable packaging options for food and supplement products. In this podcast, Lara Dickinson, executive director and co-founder, OSC2, discusses the challenges and advancements in achieving compostable flexible film packaging with Sandy Almendarez, editor in chief, INSIDER.

Peter Barton Hutt, senior counsel with Covington & Burling LLP, said DSHEA has improved “the credibility and reliability of the industry.”