Lesaffre Human Care, Wisdom Natural Brands, Japan Bio Science Laboratory (JBSL), Garden of Life, Nature’s Crops International (NCI) and Stratum Nutrition recently received awards or recognition for their products, services and accomplished team leaders.

Health Canada granted Lesaffre Human Care a new condition-specific claim for ibSium®, the company’s strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-3856. The new claim, granted based on findings of clinical research, is as follows: “Helps to reduce abdominal pain and discomfort associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)." The ingredient, also known on the market as Lynside® Pro GI+ in certain countries, has demonstrated a significant effect in improving abdominal pain and discomfort in individuals suffering from IBS.

The president of Wisdom Natural Brands^® (parent company of the stevia brand SweetLeaf^®) was named one of this year’s 50 Most Influential Women in Arizona by AZ Business Magazine. This award recognizes women trailblazers and innovators in Arizona business. Carol May’s long-standing dedication to the well-being of consumers through Wisdom Natural Brands’ products put her on this year’s list. As president of Wisdom, May oversees strategy, operations, finance, sales, marketing, branding and new product development for the company. She helped move Wisdom Natural Brands from a small Arizona company to a multi-million dollar international brand.

JBSL received NSF Certification for NSK-SD^®, its nattokinase ingredient used to dissolve excess fibrin, reduce blood platelet aggregation, decrease blood pressure and improve circulation. The registration by NSF International states JBSL is in compliance with good manufacturing practices (GMP), as set forth in NSF International Certification Guideline 229, Functional Foods. These GMPs are also consistent with FDA cGMPs for food products (21 CFR 110.3). Currently, JBSL has two Japanese patents and three U.S. patents for its technology in producing NSK-SD.

Garden of Life recently became a Certified B Corporation, an honor awarded to companies that use their business to solve social and environmental issues, while also meeting higher standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. Garden of Life joined more than 1,200 companies across 121 industries and 38 countries that are B Corporation-certified. Each certified company has earned a minimum score of 80 on the B Impact Assessment, a rigorous and comprehensive assessment of a company's impact on its workers, community and the environment, and is legally required to consider the impact of its decisions on all stakeholders, not just shareholders.

In addition, Nature’s Crops International (NCI)’s novel foods application for refined Buglossoides oil (trademark: Ahiflower® oil) has been approved by the European Commission under regulation EC No. 258/97 and published under Commission Decision L 198 (28.7.2015) in Volume 58 of the Official Journal of the European Union. Originally filed in June 2013 by NCI’s parent company, Technology Crops LLC, the application received a favorable scientific opinion of safety under intended uses from the European Food Safety Authority in February 2015. The EC Secretariat convened in Brussels on June 9 and gave final approval. Ahiflower oil may now be used in food supplements, dairy products and analogues, cheese and cheese products, butter and other fat and oil emulsions including spreads (not for cooking or frying purposes), and breakfast cereals, among listed approved uses, in the European Union.

Working in partnership, Stratum Nutrition and BLIS Technologies recently submitted a master file to the Natural and Non-Prescription Health Products Directorate (NNHPD) within Health Canada for the probiotic ingredient BLIS K12. A subsequent product license application (PLA) referencing the master file has recently gained Health Canada approval and was issued a natural product number (NPN). This approval will allow Canadian manufacturers and marketers to make substantial and specific label claims on their products which contain the BLIS K12 ingredient.