The Benninger Blog  |
|
 Jon Benninger
is the director of business development at Virgo Publishing, with responsibility for industry outreach and new business development. Benninger entered the natural products industry in 1990 and joined Virgo in 1995 as the founding editor of HSR magazine, now Natural Products Marketplace. He is an active member of many associations, including the American Botanical Council (ABC), American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and Natural Products Association (NPA). He also serves on the board of directors of the Natural Products Foundation.
|
|
|
06/26/2009
Dr. Mindy Goldstein to address REACH regulation in free webinar on July 23
We are very please to offer a free live webinar July 23 at 2pm eastern time addressing REACH and what it means for companies that bring their ingredients and finished products into the European Union. Mindy Goldstein, Ph.D., most recently Executive Director R&D for The Estee Lauder Companies, will be our presenter. Mindy has served on our SupplySide scientific advisory board and has been a great help to us as we cover the cosmetic/cosmeceutical market. There is no one who is more knowledgable about this regulation. If you or your customers are bringing ingredients or products into Europe, this is critical information. To learn more about the webinar and to sign up, click here. The REACH program requires companies to register every chemical they market in the European Union, whether as an imported ingredient or in a finished good, and will look at the occupational exposure and eco-safety of all ingredients. It is likely that this initiative will spark similar activity in Asia and North America, with Canada already working on a similar program.
|
|
06/24/2009
FDA, UCLA, NMI, Datamonitor, Mintel, NBTY, dozens more to speak at SupplySide West
About half of the SupplySide West education program is set (we're adding to it each day), and the lineup is our best yet. So far we have speakers from FDA, NBTY, UCLA School of Medicine, Natural Marketing Institute, Healthfocus, Sloan Trends, Euromonitor, Mintel, American Botanical Council, The Hartman Group, CRN, AHPA, Ullman Shapiro Ullman, Burdock Group, Frost & Sullivan, UNPA, Calvin Klein Beauty, Dairy Queen, and more. Check the website for updates. Oh, and don't forget to register to attend while the early-bird pricing is in place.
|
|
06/17/2009
Is the upswing in anti-supplement, anti-DSHEA media coverage a coincidence?
In a word...NO. The current wave of media that is calling for revisions to DSHEA and bashing dietary supplements has all of the markings of a well-funded, well-coordinated campaign. The same themes and phrases appear in stories from completely distinct outlets. Journalists all over the map repeat the same concepts as if they all attended the same conference about why supplements are bad. And, the campaign is sophisticated enough to delve into specific product categories and topics while still carrying these primary messages through. We have seen stories about "dangerous" weight management supplements, supposedly contaminated sports nutrition products, drug-laced sexual performance products, "dangerous" homeopathic drugs (which are not even supplements, but why would facts and accuracy matter). In every one of these topics, from multiple media outlets, the story includes a statement that supplements are not approved or tested by FDA and the DSHEA is a problem. I have no doubt that there is a well-planned and well-funded campaign underway to discredit the supplement industry. And it has been underway for a while, roughly since December 1994 when DSHEA became law.
|
|
06/08/2009
FDA introduces "Transparency Blog" to gather public input online
The FDA has introduced what it is calling the "FDA Transparency Blog" in an effort to improve its communication with the public. The blog went live on June 2 and will include a different question each week. The questions to be posed can be found in the FDA's June 3 Federal Register notice ( click here). There is also a public meeting on the topic of FDA transparency set for June 24 in Washington. Information about attending (it's free) and speaking is available in the Federal Register notice. Topics such as "Freedom of Information Act" requests, and access to information about enforcement activities, product approvals, recalls and other agency actions are specifically mentioned in the notice as areas of focus.
|
|
06/02/2009
Free Market Reports on Supplement, Cosmeceutical, Food & Beverage Industries
We just posted 3 free market reports on the SupplySide West website that you can download. Just visit www.supplysideshow.com/west and choose the reports that you want. They cover market trends, science and other hot topics in the dietary supplement, food & beverage and cosmeceutical industries. Check them out and please let us know what you think!
|
|
05/26/2009
Supplements blamed for failed drug test, global warming, N. Korea nukes, housing crisis
Okay, maybe that is a little over the top, but come on. How many athletes get to blame a failed test on an unnamed ingredient in an unnamed supplement from an unnamed store before we call BS. The latest case involves University of Kentucky football player Jeremy Jarmon. His story is that he bought a supplement to help him drop some weight, and it caused a positive test. He doesn't name the supplement or the ingredient, and he didn't take questions at his news conference. Click here to see the NCAA's list of banned substances. I see three substances listed that are legal supplement ingredients: caffeine, synephrine (extracted from bitter orange, the fruit in marmalade), and DHEA. Jarmon did not accuse the mystery supplement of containing something not on the label. And if it did, then it is not a legal dietary supplement. If the banned substance found in his system was not listed on the supplement's label, I would think he would be pursuing some legal action against the people who made it. And he should. If he failed for a substance that was on the label, then he blew it. I found the NCAA's list of banned substances with one google search. And other than caffeine, synephrine and DHEA, it looks like everything else on the list is a controlled substance, prescription drug or OTC drug...none of which are allowed to be ingredients in supplements. The unfortunate side effect of the "blame-it-on-the-supplement" defense is that the media and the anti-supplement crowd use this as a chance to call for more regulation, repeal of DSHEA, etc. Of course this situation has nothing to do with DSHEA. If the product contained an unlisted ingredient, it was already illegal and DSHEA did nothing to protect it. I want to know what substance he tested positive for. Without that, these accusations against the supplement are no more supported by fact than the others that I made up for the headline of this blog.
|
|
05/22/2009
FDA CFSAN Director slams supplements and DSHEA in public commentary
In a May 18 podcast and public commentary, FDA's CFSAN Director, Dr. Stephen Sundlof, took several jabs at the supplement industry and DSHEA. Using the Hydroxycut situation as the starting point, Sundlof explained that dietary supplements are regulated differently than prescription or over-the-counter drugs. (Of course they are also regulated differently than cosmetics, medical devices, vaccines, blood products, and every other class of goods that FDA regulates.) By making this statement, it is clear that Sundlof and the agency are really saying that they believe supplements should be regulated as drugs. There is no other reason to make this statement. To truly appreciate the negative, anti-DSHEA tone of Sundlof's commentary, you must read the entire piece ( click here). This is simply further evidence that the agency remains committed to dismissing the will of Congress and the people by failing to implement and enforce DSHEA in good faith, with the ultimate goal of changing the law (which I thought was the responsibility of Congress). Anyone who believes that the agency should not be given pre-market approval of dietary supplements should be ready for another battle. The agency has clearly not changed much. As I have said repeatedly, it is the FDA that is broken, not the regulations. And no amount of FDA commentary, press outreach, or creative writing will change that.
|
|
Search the blog:
|
|
|
