The Perrigo Co., of Allegan, Mich., a manufacturer of store-brand over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, vitamins and nutritional supplements, announced it is the first global company to earn the National Sanitary Foundation International Good Manufacturing Practices Registration for vitamin and nutritional supplements production. NSF, of Ann Arbor, Mich., a leader in standards development, product certification, education and risk-management services for public health and safety, established the new benchmark in quality for manufacturers of vitamins and nutritional supplements. NSF will conduct ongoing audits of Perrigo's facility on a semiannual basis to ensure continuous quality.

The George Mateljan Foundation, of Seattle, recently launched its interactive Web site, www.whfoods.com, which will provide scientifically accurate information to make eating healthy foods easy, convenient and enjoyable. The site offers its visitors a personalized eating analysis and guides them on how to select, store and enjoy healthy foods using delicious, easy recipes that take 30 minutes or less to prepare.

The American Herbal Products Association launched its new Web site, www.ahpa.org. The site was developed to serve as a primary resource for AHPA members and the public for timely, critical and accurate information about the botanical products industry.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition will launch a public relations campaign to communicate the rapidly expanding body of scientific research that supports the safety and benefits of dietary supplements. CRN selected New York-based CooperKatz & Co. to launch the program.

Schouten USA Inc. has merged four companies—Daminco, Schouten USA, Orffa and SoyLife—into a new one: Acatris Inc. Acatris USA Inc., along with Acatris Holding B.V., Giessen, The Netherlands, announced that its soy supplement ingredient SoyLife will be the focus of an upcoming women's health study conducted by researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston. The two-year $4.5 million study will examine the potential health benefits of soy isoflavone supplementation in reducing bone loss in postmenopausal women.

Champaign, Ill.-based Degussa BioActives, has launched a worldwide ad campaign featuring the brands Creapure, Leci-PS, Leci-Choline, Arthred and Cholestatin. The campaign includes consecutive-page ads in North American and European business-to-business publications. The ads also will appear in Asian publications.

Marshall-Blum's division, The Herbal Research Clinic of Bangor, Maine, is in a new round of third-party clinical trials of ingredients and supplemental blends from firms all around the world. Marshall-Blum is a medical research company specializing in clinical outcomes and quality improvement activities focusing on cardiac, pulmonary, orthopedics, surgery, internal medicine, and more recently, on integrative medicine.

The Dietary Supplement Education Alliance's "Mission Possible" event raised between $15,000 and $20,000 to provide vitamins to at-risk children when Peter Lupus, former cast member of the "Mission: Impossible" television series, lifted 76,235 pounds in 26 minutes and 45 seconds to beat his prior world record. The 70-year-old actor has been using dietary supplements for 50 years and has co-written two books on health and fitness. The vitamins will be distributed via The Vitamin Angel Alliance and The Healthy Foundation.

Kearny, N.J.-based Pharmachem Laboratories Inc., supplier of Phase 2 Starch Neutralizer, announced that Cameron Stauth, author of 14 books, including several best sellers, and Steven L. Rosenblatt, M.D., Ph.D., will team up to write a book about the benefits of nonstimulant carbohydrate control in weight loss.

According to natural products data analyst SPINSscan, two sizes of Nature's Plus Source of Life multivitamins are the nation's first- and second-best-selling vitamins in the category. Source of Life exceeded the natural product/health food store sales of all competitors in the 12-month period ending Jan. 26, 2002. SPINSscan's data showed that the first-place 90-count bottle surpassed the dollar total of the next nearest national brand by 28 percent and the third-leading brand by a 56 percent margin.

Spiru-Tein Ready To Drink protein shakes, by Nature's Plus, has entered a new arena in supporting Washington, D.C.'s Race for the Cure. The Race for the Cure Series is held throughout the year in more than 100 U.S. cities and three foreign countries to generate breast cancer research funding for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Nature's Plus donated more than 30,000 servings of Spiru-Tein Ready To Drink to the event and will be duplicating this donation at a Race for the Cure in St. Louis.

This spring the Organic Farming Research Foundation broke the $1 million mark in its 12-year history of grantmaking. OFRF granted $105,348 to 13 applicants in its spring funding cycle, including more than $25,000 funded in partnership with the EPA for weed and pest management research in organic farming.

At the Fifth Annual "Meet and Greet" Organic Benefit Luncheon, Frontier Natural Products Co-op and its offspring, Frontier Natural Brands, announced the contribution of $50,000 to the OFRF. The funds will help support OFRF's on-farm organic research program and to disseminate, free of charge, research results to every certified organic farmer in the United States.

Santa Rosa, Calif.-based Boericke & Tafel has reached a sales, marketing and distribution agreement with its sister company, Nature's Way Products.

Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy of Boulder, Colo., opened a a new location at the former Val-Grin's Pharmacy at 925 Cole St., San Francisco.

People News
The results of the National Nutritional Foods Association's recent election were announced at the annual business meeting. Paul Bennet of Harvest Moon Natural Foods was named president-elect and will succeed R. Mark Stowe in 2003. Soodi Kick of Nuts 'N Berries and David Taylor of Nature's Harvest Market and Deli were elected as at-large retailer directors. Named as supplier directors were Jim Hopper, Tree of Life; Harvey Kamil, NBTY Inc.; Jim Lemsky, Hain Celestial Food Group Inc.; Richard Merriam, CGI Nutrients; and Karl Riedel, Nature's Life.

Organic industry veteran Mark Retzloff, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Boulder, Colo.-based Rudi's Organic Bakery, received the Organic Trade Association's Organic Leadership Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement. He was honored at the OTA's annual dinner and awards ceremony during the 2002 All Things Organic Conference and Trade Show in June.

Members of OTA reelected Dave DeCou, of One Step Forward Farm, and Andy Grant, of Grant Family Farms, to the board of directors; named Phil Margolis, of Neshaminy Valley Natural Foods Distributor, president elect; and reelected Jesse Singerman, of Blooming Prairie Cooperative Warehouse, vice president. Chuck Marcy, president and chief operating officer of Horizon Organic Holding Corp., and Luis Acufia, of CF Fresh, were elected to fill two vacancies on the board. Debra Boyle, of Pro Organics Marketing Inc., is in her second year as president. Other officers are Treasurer Gene Kahn, of Small Planet Foods, and Secretary Joe Smillie, of Quality Assurance International. Continuing members of the board are Nancy Hirshberg, of Stonyfield Farm Inc.; Theresa Marquez, of Organic Valley/CROPP Cooperative; Marty Mesh, of Florida Certified Organic Growers & Consumers Inc.; LaRehea Pepper, of Organic Essentials Inc.; Arran Stephens, of Nature's Path Foods Inc.; and Margaret Wittenberg, of Whole Foods Market Inc.

Horizon Organic Holding Co. announced that Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman appointed Horizon Vice President of R&D/quality assurance Kevin O'Rell to the National Organic Standards Board. O'Rell's position will continue for four years. O'Rell's seat on the NOSB will help the Horizon Organic Agriculture Project, a program that focuses on organic education and the advancement of organic agriculture and stewardship.

Natural Foods Merchandiser volume XXIII/number 8/p. 52-53