Natural Products Industry Company News 3635

Los Angeles-based Jarrow Formulas' KIDS Multi was named a top product in 2006 by www.supplementwatch.com. SupplementWatch selected Jarrow's formula on five criteria: claims, theory, science, safety and value. Jarrow Formulas was also recently honored by Natural Products Association West for exceptional support of and contributions to the regional association.

The National Enzyme Co., based in Forsyth, Mo., is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. The company was founded in 1932 by Dr. Edward Howell.

Bloomfield, Conn.-based Amerifit Nutrition has provided its first unrestricted educational grant, totaling $120,000 for development of a continuing education course for pharmacists. The first CE course to be developed with the grant focuses on the role of probiotics in the management of antibiotic-associated diarrhea.

New Orleans franchise Vitality Juice, Java and Smoothie Bar made the switch this year to serving its smoothies and juices in cups made from corn instead of plastic. The company began franchising after Hurricane Katrina.

Nature's First Law, a San Diego-based distributor of organic raw foods and related products, changed its name to Sunfood Nutrition. The new name is derived from the nutrition and lifestyle book The Sunfood Diet Success System(Maul Brothers Pub., 2006) by David Wolfe, the company's founder.

Los Angeles-based Soft Gel Technologies Inc. appointed Sochim International S.p.A. of Milan, Italy, to represent its portfolio of dietary supplements for sale in Italy. SGTI entered the European market three years ago, and the European sales division is managed by Roy Bouskilaform in a satellite office in northern Israel.

Deardoff Family Farms in Oxnard, Calif., is now shipping celery in recyclable boxes, saying these boxes are first-of-their-kind. Normally celery is shipped in nonrecyclable wax-saturated boxes. The company is also using more returnable plastic containers to reduce waste.

California Certified Organic Farmers based in Santa Cruz, Calif., released its 2007 Organic Directory in February. It includes almost 1,000 organic products, and represents an increase of 62 percent more organic acreage. More than 175 new organic businesses are listed this year. CCOF is a nonprofit organic certifier that works to educate and promote organics in North America.

SPINS, a Schaumburg, Ill.-based market research company serving the natural foods industry, and National Cooperative Grocers Association, based in Iowa City, Iowa, announced an expanded partnership in February. According to the new five-year agreement, NCGA-member stores will move to census data in SPINSscan Natural. SPINS and NCGA will work together to provide and use information useful for NCGA members to work more efficiently with vendors and other business partners.

Seattle-based Organic Holding Co., doing business as Organic To Go, announced it is now a publicly traded company. Organic To Go, the nation's first fast-casual café to be certified as an organic retailer, is now a wholly owned operating subsidiary of SP Holding Corp. The existing board of directors and executive officers of Organic To Go continue to fulfill the same duties in the new public entity.

Refrigerated display-case manufacturer Structural Concepts, based in Muskegon, Mich., won an Editors' Choice Award at the 2006 International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show for its Clean Sweep automatic condenser coil cleaner feature on its Breeze slide-out refrigeration system. The Clean Sweep was designed to solve the problem of dirty, clogged condenser coils that restrict airflow and make the refrigeration system work harder and consume more electricity to maintain temperature.

Piscataway, N.J.-based Sabinsa Corp. is completing construction of its 17,000-square-foot expansion at its manufacturing and distribution facility in Payson, Utah.

NOW Foods, based in Bloomingdale, Ill., pledged $25,000, matched by Leiner Health Products of Carson, Calif., to support the industry-wide, paid advertising campaign organized by the Dietary Supplement Education Alliance. The campaign "Just Like Me," planned for this spring, is aimed at building consumer confidence in dietary supplements.

American Health, based in Ronkonkoma, N.Y., launched a newly redesigned Ester-C American Health Web site, www.americanhealthus.com. The site will include clinical information on the science behind Ester-C, as well as the entire American Health product catalog.

The Scotts Valley, Calif.-based American Herbal Pharmacopoeia, a nonprofit research organization, released its quality-control standard and therapeutic compendium for the botanical dietary supplement Echinacea purpurea aerial parts. The information was released to assist manufacturers in complying with good manufacturing practices.

Reed's Ginger Brew, based in Los Angeles, has become a publicly traded company. In 2005, Reed's gross revenues were approximately $9.5 million.

Natural Foods Merchandiser volume XXVIII/number 4/p.46