Jarrow Formulas of Los Angeles, CA issued a press release airing its disappointment that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had not yet sufficiently responded to its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request. The 128-point FOIA request was filed September 8, 2011 in connection with the New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) Draft Guidance. The Agency did, however, note in one correspondence that it had no information about Jarrow Formula’s FOIA requests. Stated food and drug attorney Scott Polisky, “The Agency has only sent us information that was already in the public domain. In sum, FDA has told us to Drop Dead.”

Solid Gold of San Diego, CA held the first of its semi-annual Show Drawings at SuperZoo in Las Vegas. Three companies won an iPad 2 3G: Pet Supermarket from Sunrise, FL, Nature’s Pet of Portland, OR and The Yuppy Puppy from Spokane, WA.

An end-cap display contest is underway from Nordic Naturals of Watsonville, CA. The contest, which began January 1, 2012, is aimed at raising awareness for the “What’s Essential” consumer contest. The campaign encourages individuals to consider what matters most in their lives. Shoppers are asked to share their essential stories on Nordic Naturals’ Facebook page or Web site for the chance to win prizes like a trip to California.

Retailers that want to participate in the Nordic Naturals contest must display the end cap for a month between January 1 and April 30, 2012. Photos will be submitted through Nordic Naturals’ Web site. The winner in the retailer display contest could also win a trip to California. Display contest winners will be chosen from eight U.S. regions and four from Canada. The contests end April 30, 2012. Stores can contact their sales rep, or call Nordic Naturals Retail Sales division to receive the entry form and the official contest display kit.

Bioforce USA, based in Ghent, NY, sold one million units of its SECURE Denture Adhesive at the end of October.

Vitamin Angels sent an e-mail update describing its recent trip to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The group visited a school in Ravine Sable, where children learn about nutrition, hygiene and sanitation through a nutrition program. The Vitamin Angels group watched a vitamin A distribution, which happens biannually. They also visited a malnutrition center and dispensary run by the Franciscan Missionaries of our Lady. Some 11 children and their mothers are receiving intensive nutritional support to treat malnutrition. Stated Vitamin Angels president Howard Schiffer, “It was a sobering reminder of how essential basic nutrition really is. We were grateful to be doing our small part to help them.”

Also providing donations to Haiti was Mineral Resources International, Inc. of Ogden, UT. The firm gave more than 4,000 1.25-ml rip packs of its elete Electrolyte Add-In to St. Vincent’s School for Handicapped Children in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. This donation will help give the children proper hydration, muscle function and more.

Cleveland, OH-based Vitamix was named the Best in Class beverage and blender consultant by Foodservice Equipment and Supplies magazine.

Trace Minerals Research, headquartered in Ogden, UT, received Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) recertification with an “A” rating from the Natural Products Association.

Living Naturally of Sarasota, FL launched a SmartPhone version of its retail Web site program called iWebGenius, and a Facebook Website Management Console. These modules are available as an add-on to an existing Web Genius program or as standalone modules.

Garden of Life, LLC of West Palm Beach, FL and Minami Nutrition are cosponsoring a national clinical trial to study how omega-3 supplementation affects the Omega-3 Index in average adults.

Citizens for Health delivered a petition with 12,686 signatures to The United States House of Representatives, The United States Senate, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and President Barack Obama calling on the NDI Draft Guidance to be withdrawn.

Bloomingdale, IL-based NOW Foods launched a redesigned Web site with better navigation. Says the company, “ The consumer-friendly site supports natural products retailers with a robust search tool to guide consumers to stores nearby, and even allows consumers to narrow a search to those stores that carry a particular product.”

Correction: The “2011 Retail Universe” table that appeared on page 29 of the December 2011 issue of WholeFoods had a typo in the methodology section. It should have read: “There were more than 100 million square feet dedicated to natural products in 2011, or 4.6 percent of the 2.16 billion total square feet in the eight retail channels.”

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, January 2012