Healthy INSIDER Podcast

The https://organicandnatural.org/ (Organic & Natural Health Association)'s partnership with the https://www.wmsfranklinfoundation.org/ (Williams-Franklin Foundation) will open more opportunities in the natural products industry for students and graduates of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU). Specifically, Organic & Natural Health committed to help raise US$50,000 for the Williams-Franklin Foundation--a nonprofit that provides scholarships, networking and mentoring opportunities to HBCU students with extreme financial need--during the next five years. While Organic & Natural Health started the partnership, this is an industry-wide initiate. In this podcast, Karen Howard, CEO and executive director, Organic & Natural Health Association, and Brian Terry, national sales manager, https://www.nordicnaturals.com/consumers/ (Nordic Naturals), join Sandy Almendarez, senior content director, Informa Markets, to discuss the importance of this program and the beneficial ripple effects it will have to improve the natural products industry.

ToddCast Episode 5:The medicinal value of hemp CBD has been proven with FDA approval of a CBD isolate drug. Even so, the forces aligned against its widespread use remain. Sean Murphy, founder of Hemp Business Journal and now with WAFBA producing the NoCo Hemp Expo in Denver (and online) March 25-27, https://www.nocohempexpo.com/ (https://www.nocohempexpo.com/) talks with Insider senior editor Todd Runestad about: Murphy's young son, Atlas, born with a terminal brain condition—and how, even in the cannabis capital of Colorado, he has been unable to legally use CBD to help. What the leading hemp companies are doing to stay ahead sustainably. The opportunities for hemp beyond medicinal—nutritional, textiles, biomaterials.

Health Equity & Advocacy Project (HEAP) just launched, its mission to educate and inspire Blacks and other melanin-challenged populations to get their vitamin D levels up to healthy. Their lives may depend on it. The merging of #BLM with COVID has created a moment where the Black community's health outcomes with the pandemic is worse than most—as is vitamin D blood levels, and a slew of published research over the past year has shown at least a correlation between vitamin D deficiency and worse COVID-19 outcomes. Brian Terry, national sales manager at Nordic Naturals, saw opportunity. He sat down with Insider senior editor Todd Runestad to discuss: That an incredible 82% of Blacks are vitamin D deficient, compard to 63% Latinx and 31% White. What can vitamin D do to help peoples' health status? Why supplementation is the only realistic solution. Terry is a Black man in a White industry. What has his experience been—are natural products people really full of peace and love?

The 54-store U.S. chain of sports nutrition stores has committed to an omnichannel solution from NewStore to modernize its operation and inventory management while delivering information and products in the many ways customers today demand. 5 Star's chief marketing officer Jared LeMantia discusses what prompted this move, what is involved in transitioning to this new system, and how the customer experience will change.

When sports nutrition retail chain 5 Star Nutrition chose NewStore's omnichannel cloud solution as its pathway to future growth and success, it was the company's first foray into nutrition. NewStore's chief commercial officer Rick Berger explains how mobile point of sale (POS) and cloud-based order management that have been changing fashion and sporting goods retailing can also transform nutrition retailers, who can run their stores from an iPhone.

ToddCast episode II: Sports nutrition has long been a hotbed of innovation. The first tubs of whey protein powders were originally used by body builders, but the conceit has diversified into plant proteins for anyone seeking a performance edge. Listen to this interview between senior editor Todd Runestad and sports nutrition innovator extraordinaire and president of Imaginutrition, Anthony Almada, as they discuss: How EAS turned on the pro sports world with creatine and other power boosters.  Immunity supplements may be the new multivitamin, but can they also find a home in the sports nutrition aisle? How the latest sports ingredient, beta-alanine, increases exercise capacity—but is also an antioxidant and can enhance immunity.

BIPOC brand targets diabesity with plant-based powders. The company had been laser-focused on the Black population. With high-quality ingredients and GMP-certified production, this on-point brand was able to get a shot at the best big box retailer in the country. Watch CEO Claude Tellis and CMO Kareem Cook sit down with senior editor Todd Runestad as they discuss the challenges and sweet smell of success: The challenges and indignities of being a Black-owned company, which makes this deal all the sweeter. What success looks like now—sales figures, time horizons, new demographic markets opened, and flying over the hurdle of Costco's No. 1 concern. How hoops legends Magic Johnson and Grant Hill—along with strong assists from a pair of women on the back end—have helped this company earn the spotlight.

ToddCast Vol. XXIX: Duffy MacKay has lived and breathed Washington, D.C., for a decade as senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a leading trade group serving the dietary supplements industry. Like so many other supplements veterans, he jumped ship and swam to the boisterous shores of hemp CBD land. MacKay sits down with Insider senior editor Todd Runestad to talk about the similarities between the last quarter-century of supplements and the last five of CBD, in particular as it relates to FDA regulation. Tune in as they discuss: How CBD companies don't quite get that they are in the supplements business, not the marijuana business. Rules and regulations apply. Whether potential FDA commissioner in the Biden administration, David Kessler, has “evolved his thinking” from supplements enemy to hemp accepter if not promoter. Whether Congress can write laws to compel the FDA to stop its slow-dance of hemp CBD regulations. 

Marc Brush, principal at the Bend consultancy, honed his market research bona fides running Nutrition Business Journal. He's helping shape the personalized healthcare and nutrition pursuit, is building the future of innovative immune-support products and brands, and has genius insights on the future of consumer demographics and market success. Listen in as Insider senior editor Todd Runestad sits down with Brush as they discuss: How to make personalization work in the market (hint: no one is there yet). As we enter the second year of the colds-and-flu season, has immunity supplements supplanted multivitamins as the foundation of health? Is influencer marketing really losing its luster? What then, then?

ToddCast Vol. XXVIII: COVID times are accelerating the health care paradigm, and the leading thinker on functional medicine and personalized nutrition is leading the charge. Immune boosting is so 20th century. Think immune rejuvenation. Think training your immune system like you would build muscle for fitness. Think of categorizing your immune function into immunity personalities. Insider senior editor Todd Runestad rethinks the future of nutrition with Dr. Jeffrey Bland, Ph.D., founder of the Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute and president of Big Bold Health. They discuss: The five categories of one's immune system personality—angry, confused, sensitive, withdrawn and balanced—and nutrients that support each one. Bland's serendipitous journey of discovery of the next great superfood (and crop for carbon times), Himalayan tartary buckwheat. What the future of health care and functional medicine looks like in 2050.

ToddCast Vol. XXVII: From Tonalin CLA to 5-Loxin, Aker krill to MenaQ7 vitamin K2, Eric Anderson has been at the forefront of marketing evidence-based, IP-protected ingredients to quality-forward responsible brands. Tune in as Anderson sits down with Insider senior editor Todd Runestad as they discuss: How to navigate a market with brands pirating ingredients and stifling innovation on one end and those that care about quality and evidence on the other. How to communicate all aspects of quality, from sustainable sourcing and clinically validated ingredients to lab test results. What the surge in immune products post-COVID looks like for consumers looking to support general wellness.

Market leaders are leading the market through diligence, innovation and new ways of thinking. You would expect anything less from the hemp biz?  The last 10 months have changed our lives dramatically. Supply chains are being rewritten and remapped due to the pandemic. This is another opportunity to bring manufacturing to the agriculture center of production in this country because supply chains will require domestic supply because nobody wants supply disruption. How do we make sure we take care of the climate and take care of the sustainable story for the next 20 years? Senior editor Todd Runestad sits down with Simon Liegel, co-founder of Driftless Extracts, and Josh Hendrix, an established leader in the hemp industry sitting on major boards and managing BestBall CBD and Hendrix Holdings. They discuss:  How brands can qualify a supplier—what to look for, what questions to ask.  What kept the green rush from coming to fruition for many hemp farmers—and the opportunities that remain.  How Wisconsin is looking past cannabinoids and driving hemp usage toward the grain and fiber angle—packaging, textiles, paper and other industrial applications.  Traceabiliity. Sustainability. Verification. And other significant considerations.

ToddCast, Vol. XXV: Known in the trade as The Medicine Hunter, Chris Kilham travels the world over and really digs in with indigenous cultures to discover herbal remedies for the Western world—kava and maca being two preeminent herbs that Kilham was there at the start of both. During the COVID downtime, we caught up with Kilham resting comfortably just five miles from North America's largest organic schisandra farm. Listen in to this podcast with senior editor Todd Runestad as Kilham discusses: As one of the world's great longevity botanicals, why schisandra berry “really needs its day.” Differentiation among the three great adaptogenic superstars today—ashwagandha, rhodiola, Schisandra—and why an adaptogen virtually unheard-of outside the West may be the “king of kings.” Why the herb with a well-built commercial infrastructure but was beaten down by a questionable safety study a decade ago is nevertheless poised for a return. Is he going to talk about cannabis and CBD? You know he is!

While being careful to not pick winners and losers, ABC founder—and now anointed as one of the luminaries gracing the Mount Rushmore of the Natural Products Industry—identifies botanicals vital for vitality and immune health. But really, though, that's not even close to the half of it. Listen in as they dive into the deep end of the pond and talk about: Evolutionary biology and the kindom—no typo—that links plants and animals on this fair planet. The conflict between vitalism and reductionism in how herbalists think about health care. The List. Immunomodulators, sure, but also herbs for vitality.

The right people leading a supplement or functional food company can take the company to the next stage of success, or can mean the brand stays in business at all. But as Angela Marturano, president, Orchid Holistic Search, said, “Working for a company, you're dedicating the majority your life to that business. In return, what is a company willing to do for you to make you feel valued?” It's a good question. And thankfully, Marturano provided insight into what the top candidates are after when it comes to choosing their employer.

Consumers are clamoring for supplements that support a healthy immune system. Innovative supplements company NB Pure wanted to create a zinc supplement in an innovative spray delivery format. Listen in as senior editor Todd Runestad sat down with Gene Tracy, director of quality assurance / quality control at NB Pure as they dig into: What kind of zinc, and at what dose, would work best in a spray delivery format. Formulation challenges around potency, contamination, flavor and shelf-stability. Microbial challenges, stability testing, and taste issues.

Countries and regions around the world use hemp differently. Listen for details around the differences between Canada, Europe, and Asia.  Yes, there was massive overproduction of hemp in 2019 in America. But hemp CBD is a worldwide sensation, and there are opportunities for hemp farmers around the world. Perhaps the largest vertically integrated hemp firm in the U.S. was formed in 2020 when CPG brand Kadenwood acquired Colorado-based supplier EcoGen. Garrett Bain is president of EcoGen and a veteran of the hemp supply business. Natural Products Insider senior editor Todd Runestad sat down with Bain to discuss: The evolving Asian markets, and how Australia is a stepping stone to Asia.  Specifics around the “complicated” regulatory environment in Canada.  How the European market improves the quality of U.S.-grown hemp. 

To help increase awareness of the importance of vitamin D supplementation about minority populations, The https://organicandnatural.org/ (Organic and Natural Health Association) launched the “https://powerofd.org/ (Get On My Level)” campaign in partnership with Dr. Ken Redcross, author of “Bond: The 4 Cornerstones of a Lasting and Caring Relationship with Your Doctor.” The campaign highlights the proven health benefits of vitamin D and encourages people in communities most at risk to know their vitamin D level by either asking their doctor or measuring and monitoring their own levels at home using a test kit and vitamin D calculator from Organic & Natural Health research partner, https://www.grassrootshealth.net/ (GrassrootsHealth). In this podcast, Dr. Redcross speaks with Sandy Almendarez, content director, Informa Markets, about the important of vitamin D for minority populations. They cover: The need for the medical community to foster and support the patient-doctor relationship. How Black and Latinx communities generally view supplements as part of their healthy lifestyles. How supplement brands can promote their vitamin D supplement to ethnic minority populations. 

CBD researcher Alex Capano, Ph.D., studies at the Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Her groundbreaking work was on CBD for opioid addiction—which also found, not surprisingly, quality of life improvements around pain, sleep and anxiety. Natural Products Insider senior editor Todd Runestad sat at the bench with Capano to discuss the frontiers of CBD research. Listen in as they discuss Safety concerns around liver toxicity, drug interactions and whether drowsiness is a side effect or an effect. The best way to take hemp CBD—a loading dose, or start low and go slow? What the science says around possible maximum upper intake dosages.

The fountain of youth has been sought for centuries. In the last two decades some ingredients—namely resveratrol and NAD+—have gained notoriety for an ability to lengthen the time study organisms live. The question is always whether the natural bioactives work in humans. It's all but impossible to conduct a 40- or 50-year human clinical trial, so what now? In this Healthy Insider Podcast, senior editor Todd Runestad sits down with veteran anti-aging researcher Brian Kennedy, director of the Center for Healthy Longevity at the National University of Singapore, to discuss: The difference between lifespan and healthspan—and how the latter may be more important.  Biomarkers that can be regulated and which contribute to what is known as the biological clock.  What alpha-ketoglutarate (LifeAKG) did in study results in a landmark study published Sept. 1in Cell Metabolism.

ToddCast Vol. XVIII: You say you want a revolution? Hemp is the answer—that’s right, it can pave the way to better alternatives than many of the problems staring us in the face as industrial, civilized humans – the plastic problem, the climate crisis, the pollution of our waterways, the unsustainable way we have organized our societies. Natural Products Insider senior editor Todd Runestad catches up the hemp majordomo promoter Morris Beegle, co-founder and president of WAFBA—short for We Are For Better Alternatives. Listen in as they dig into: How it’s time for people engaged in the hemp CBD business to go pro—or go home and stop gumming up the architecture of this fledgling industry. The key to the realm of hemp dominance is when “whole plant utilization” comes to fruition—using not just the flower for CBD but the stems, stalks and seeds for biomaterials, biofuels, bioplastics, animal feed and healthy human nutrition. The one entity that can save us from being “f@(#*d” by climate change and lead the way (with hemp, of course) on a more sustainable course

Too much hemp in the fields and barns, too many brands, too little regulatory certainty (and misguided when it does get released). Buckle up! Josh Hendrix has been around the hemp farms, the hemp businesses, the hemp boards. He’s sharp, smart and informed—and reasonably hip, at least by Kentucky standards. Natural Products Insider senior editor Todd Runestad sat down with Josh to assess the damage from smoking embers of the hemp CBD business in mid-2020. Yes, there was massive overproduction in 2019. Yes, there is regulatory intransigence. Yes, there was 4,000 hemp CBD brands at last count. But you know what you don’t know? - How the leading CBD brand is positioning itself as something bigger than just a hemp CBD brand. - The big mistake most of those CBD brands make that will be a big contributor to their ultimate demise. - “If you and I get on the phone in 10 years and hemp fiber is not a huge part of the materials world, I’ll be shocked.”

Tennessee’s Frederick Cawthon is emblematic of a 2020 hemp farmer—in 2019 his team grew 85 acres, and then thanks to the oversupply and consequent market saturation and price collapse, in 2020 he grew 15 acres. Hear Cawthon’s founding story of how he got into the hemp business, how he assembled a crack growing team, marshaled investors, even cajoled the local college president to open dormant dorms to farm workers during the summer grow season. But more than that, hear Cawthon speak about hemp’s potential to revitalize rural regions, and how CBD has the potential to be the next great ingredient that can be infused in a range of products by the world’s biggest CPG companies. Listen to this fascinating Toddcast with Natural Products Insider’s senior editor Todd Runestad, as they discuss: - How his mother, the Lord, the universe and CNN fit into the spark of an idea to change his life and become a hemp farmer. - How hemp can be a zero-carbon detox agent to clean up farms, communities and ecosystems. - How all that hemp oversupply could be gone from barns across the nation if only two organizations would try just a little bit harder.

Hemp acreage has gone from 7,000 acres in 2015 to 27,000 to 78,000 in 2017 to an eye-popping half a million acres after the 2018 farm bill was passed. The ensuing gut has scaled back many farmers’ plans even while more farmers chase the gold ring—but the bigger problem remains intransigence by the FDA and USDA, which seem to be doing their drug warrior best to keep the hemp market from reaching full potential. Natural Products Insider senior editor Todd Runestad sat down with Rick Trojan, president of the Hemp Industries Association, to talk about a wide-ranging number of hempy topics, including: - Are we in Bustville? Too much USDA opposition making farmers felons, too much FDA creating fear around CBD, too many farmers getting in too fast and driving down the price? - How institutional racism figures into the history of hemp (it’s not a pretty sight, and it will open your eyes). #BLM - Is the main challenge to hemp how potentially disruptive it is to various pre-existing industries? Are you up for the legislative and cultural fight to put more money in the pockets of farmers and rural communities rather than large corporations?

Despite the impact on business and industry posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, dietary supplement companies are still obligated to meet regulatory requirements including supplier qualification, ingredient testing, aspects of GMP compliance and more; every person involved in compliance must understand their responsibilities. To support the gap around in-person education and training, NSF International has developed Quality & Regulatory Digital Week, taking place August 3 to 7, 2020. Designed with the global nutraceutical industry in mind, various courses delve into particular aspects of regulatory compliance. The two-part Botanical Identification and Testing Course, set for August 6 and 7, addresses a range of issues unique to the herbal industry. In this Healthy Insider podcast, John Travis, senior research scientist at NSF, offers thoughts around the importance of botanical identification and testing methodologies. In this podcast, Travis and Informa’s Heather Granato discuss: • Why botanical identification continues to be of critical interest across the global supplement space, particularly as it relates to vendor qualification. • Concerns around the issue of supply chain scarcity and potential adulteration, and how that could impact testing processes and methods. • Key steps that manufacturers can take to ensure their botanical materials meet quality specs.

Adulteration of botanicals has been going a fact of human commerce since time immemorial. Only very recently has the game taken a turn for the technical as criminals and unsuspecting buyers use ever-more sophisticated tools—and schemes—to stay ahead of each other. In response, the American Botanical Council has co-created a Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program, a free series of bulletins to help buyers, brands and contract manufacturers learn which ingredients are being targeted, and the means why which adulterers are using to fool tests. Natural Products Insider’s senior editor Todd Runestad sat down with ABC’s founder, Mark Blumenthal, to discuss the risks at stake. Tune in to discover: - How saw palmetto is being spiked with help from the animal slaughter trade. - What manufacturers can do to prevent rejected raw materials from re-entering the trade. - Whether blockchain can be a viable tool to ensure trustworthiness in the trade. On Thursday, July 9, from 2:00-2:30pm Eastern time, tune in to a related webinar with NOW Foods CEO Jim Emme on Challenges in the botanical ingredient supply chain: Opportunities for manufacturers to create change. Click here to register for this free event, courtesy your business partners here at Natural Products Insider.

Plenty of former and current professional athletes advocate for the use of CBD in sports nutrition, and many of them have launched their own line of supplements or topical products in this space. However, selling CBD products to athletes is both riskier and less risky than selling CBD products to other demographics. To explain this conundrum, Rick Collins, partner at Collins Gann McCloskey & Barry, joins Sandy Almendarez, content director, Informa Markets, on this podcast to discuss the legal aspects of selling CBD in sports nutrition products.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is set up to assess and approve single synthetic chemical constituent pharmaceutical drugs—drug, after all, is its middle name. But food is its first name, yet the agency has a great deal of difficulty regulating dietary supplements, in particular botanicals with many different active phytochemicals in a plant, and especially hemp CBD with one ingredient in particular, THC, being a controlled substance drug! So it’s a challenging scenario all the way around, from the regulators to the would-be regulated. Natural Products Insider senior editor Todd Runestad digs into these important—and vexing—issues with Duffy MacKay, senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs for CV Sciences, a pioneering and leading brand known for its PlusCBD Oil line. Tune in and listen to the pair discuss some provocative issues, including: What does regulatory compliance look like to a hemp CBD company? What else looks different in the hemp CBD world compared to the larger dietary supplements business? Crystal ball question: What do ultimate hemp CBD regulations might look like? Pharma only? Food allowed? Upper safe limits established? No isolate? MacKay will be leading a discussion with many of the hemp CBD industry’s leading legal minds, in a webinar, “Legal, regulatory and market forces shaping the hemp CBD industry,” Thursday, July 2, from 2-3pm Eastern time, 11-12 Pacific. To register, go to naturalproductsinsider.com and atop the home page, on that bar, click on Media Assets, then Webinars, and scroll down till you see the title, and register.

Research is only in its infancy in cannabinoid research, though it is clear they have benefit. The future may portend new tricks in product formulation. Yes, we will continue to discover new individual cannabinoids, a la CBD isolate that’s been approved as a pharmaceutical drug by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. We will also see blending combinations of individual cannabinoids. We will also see increased research on the so-called entourage effect--the mixture of all the cannabinoids inside the cannabis plant—even, yes, with THC. There will also be deeper looks at the terpenes. And also, the blending of hemp with complementary botanicals. The future is truly wide open. Join Informa senior editor Todd Runestad as he takes a deep dive into the hemp fields with Jason Mitchell, co-founder and president of hemp pioneering company HempFusion, as they look beyond CBD and go into: • Why is CBG not only an emerging cannabinoid but is in fact the mother of all cannabinoids? • Beta-caryophyllene and the aromatic terpenes. • CBD is not ‘more is better.’ CBD is ‘better is better.’ It’s not about how much you take, it’s did it work? Jason Mitchell will be moderating a SupplySide webinar, “Hemp cannabinoids: CBD (and THC) aren’t the half of it.” This will be broadcast Tuesday, June 30. To tune in, go to naturalproductsinsider.com and right up near the top, on the right, click “Media Assets” and “Webinars” and find the webinar.

The Organic & Natural Health Association (O&N), with research support from Grassroots Health, submitted a health claim petition to FDA regarding vitamin D’s role in reducing preterm births. According to Karen Howard, CEO and executive director of O&N, this petition was denied because FDA said the studies didn’t account for the vitamin D participants received through sunlight exposure. Rather than walk away defeated, Howard and her Association made lemonade out of lemons, by supporting the substantiation of a structure/function claim, which currently appears on Simply GOODHEALTH’s Vitamin D3 label. In this podcast with Sandy Almendarez, content director, Informa Markets, Howard tells the tale of the structure/function claim development and what lessons the rest of the industry can learn.

The natural products industry is less diverse than the general population in terms of the consumers we serve and the individuals that lead our companies. Yet, this market is full of people who want to improve the justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (J.E.D.I.) makeup of our cultures, customers and consumers. The first step in education, especially for those who are just becoming aware of the privilege they hold in society and the ways they operate within an unjust system. This podcast with Laura Dickinson and Sheryl O’Loughlin, cofounders of the J.E.D.I. Collaborative discusses the resources available and actions brands can take to further J.E.D.I. in the natural products industry.

Contemporary notions of health and wellness are changing for consumers, who are seeking involvement in managing or preventing health conditions that affect their lives. How do supplements fit in?

Jon catches up with Brent Tignor, Vice President Human Resources at Balchem Corporation. Learn more at: https://www.https://balchem.com

There is no cure for the novel coronavirus. Still, consumers are searching for natural supplements that optimize immune function. Is there anything new under the sun?

Jon catches up with David Thibodeau, Managing Director at Wellvest Capital. Learn more at: https://www.https://wellvestcapital.com

Once upon a time in probiotic history, the probiotic genus lactobacillus had 261 species, but as of mid-April 2020, it was reclassified into 23 novel genera as well as the previously known lactobacillus, paralactobacillus and pediococcus (Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2020 Apr 15. DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.004107). This reclassification has a huge impact on products made with probiotics that fall into this family, since this change can cause confusion among regulators, consumers and formulators. In this podcast, Ivan Wasserman, managing partner, Amin Talati Wasserman, discusses what probiotic brands need to consider given this change, as well as other pressing legal concerns.

Elan Sudberg of Garden Grove, California-based Alkemist Labs, talks with Jon Benninger, VP of the Health & Nutrition Network of for Informa Markets about how smaller-scale labs prepared for the impact of COVID-19.

Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., is author of many books that reveal the shortcomings of the allopathic medical model. Many of these issues can be addressed by targeted, sometimes high-dose, nutritional supplementation. In this Healthy Insider Podcast, senior editor Todd Runestad talks with Teitelbaum about compelling supplement solutions that any supplement formulator or retailer in store aisles would do well to tune in on: - 10% of the people who get covid-19, even a mild form, may come down with post-viral fibromyalgia and fatigue. - Why don’t conventional American doctors give much thought to fibromyalgia and fatigue? - Key supplement categories to focus on—and the ingredients that power them—beyond immune health here in the world full of pandemonium.

Wilson Lau talks about how his toddler is teaching him how to approach life again "with a renewed curiosity.” He said Nuherbs has adopted all the measures, but at the same time cut back on OT to keep employee mental health a priority. He also explains his three reasons his company was fortunate with the outbreak - number one, being organic and lab-tested means you contract out with farmers and wild collectors well in advance. Lots more too about supply chains and adulteration concerns.

Paul Schulick is co-founder of the legacy New Chapter supplements company, and has just launched For the Biome—at the start, a skin-care company with formulations that “speak your skin’s language” and “awaken your skin, microbiome, and consciousness.” Get ready to expand your consciousness in this scintillating conversation with an industry pioneer and innovator who is bringing new thinking to preventive health care. In this Healthy Insider Podcast, senior editor Todd Runestad and Schulick go deep on topics such as: • The root of why we are not healthy is America’s disease-treatment system and not a true health-care system. Is today’s health crisis an opportunity to shift that paradigm? • The challenge of using best-in-class ingredients, and how the most expensive product is the one that does not work. • Schulick’s basic message for people who want to survive the coronavirus and also for those who want to live a healthy, sustainable, sentient, compassionate life in the 21st Century and beyond.

Surviving a pandemic and economic fallout requires an active, flexibility and adaptive approach marked by firm, focused decisions.

Personalized nutrition brand Care/Of tried to bring consistency to consumers thrown off their regular nutrition path during pandemic.

The hemp biz is known as a man’s world, yet two of the most successful, innovative players are women. Hear them roar! Listen in on challenges and frustrations, successes and inspirations in today’s hemp CBD business. New Hope Network’s ingredients and supplements editor Todd Runestad sits down with Jess Mulligan, co-founder of Winged Nutrition, and Annie Rouse, co-founder of Anavii Market, Chief Knowledge Officer with LifePatent, and founder of OverCome. They talk about: Fundraising when it seems like all the money belongs to men. Frustrations like Amazon’s on-again off-again relationship with CBD Inspirations like “selling something that changes lives.” Dropping the veil of perfection.

NOW Foods is powering ahead despite social distancing and sanitary requirements, as its immune business booms and ingredients like vitamin C are in high demand.

Energy, hydration, testing, gaming and sweeteners highlight the topics discussed in this podcast featuring Bryan Morin, sports category manager of NOW Sports.

Let’s talk cannabis in all its iterations—medical and recreational marijuana, supplemental CBD, and agricultural hemp. And that’s just the appetizer! Who’s up for some delicious vegetarian lunch? Informa senior editor Todd Runestad breaks bread with Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association, and Elan Sudberg, CEO of Alkemist Labs, to discuss the ABCs of herbalism today: American consumer trends; Botanical expertise in the realms of regulations from USDA, FDA and DEA; and that ineffable quality called Courage. Listen up as we dig into these noshable notions: What have we learned in the 10 years since the American Herbal Products Association chartered its cannabis committee? Consistency in the herbal market—seven of the top 10 best-selling herbs from a decade ago are still on the list today. Courage: On a personal, professional, and association level.

With supply chains in 80 countries that employ 300,000 people, the company can make a difference to end poverty, hunger and more, per Randy Kreienbrink, VP of marketing. Martin Bauer, with its global reach providing more than 200 botanical ingredients to the tea, food, beverage, dietary supplement and animal nutrition industries, has committed to several sustainability goals, including tackling climate change, poverty and global hunger. All these goals and more are outlined in its Sustainably Report, released in February 2020. Per the Sustainability Report, Martin Bauer promised to purchase 56% of its major botanicals through certified supply chains and to follow Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) set forth by the SDG Compass. In this podcast, Randy Kreienbrink, vice president of marketing, Martin Bauer Group, talks with Sandy Almendarez, content director, Informa Markets, about the company’s sustainability goals.

In the wake of the postponement of Expo West 2020—let’s call it Expo Rest—we still met in Southern California with movers and shakers in the field. Informa senior editor Todd Runestad sat down with Erik Goldman, editor-in-chief of Holistic Primary Care, a media company that connects integrative practitioners to the supplements market and holistic healing practices. Sit down with us and listen to this provocative conversation where the two discuss: - What health conditions are practitioners recommending cannabis—medical and recreational marijuana as well as hemp CBD. - “Health is more than the absence of disease” and how the medical community is shifting to deal with post-modern health conditions. -In the wake of the postponement of Expo West 2020, it begs the question, How much do we believe in our medicine?

Nutiva’s new Organic MCT Protein offers innovation in a saturated protein powder market, and the company commits itself to worthy environmental causes, leading to the honor of finalist for the 2020 NEXTY Awards in the Best New Supplement Category. The Organic MCT Protein powders hit on several trends, including plant-based ingredients, non-GMO, keto, paleo, vegan, dairy free, grain free, gluten free and sugar free. The medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) powder is derived from organic coconuts, and organic plant protein powder comes from pea, sunflower, pumpkin seed and hemp seeds. Available in vanilla and chocolate, it offers 6 g of MCTs, 20 g of plant protein and 4 g of branched chain amino acids per serving. It also contains the prebiotic acacia fiber. In this podcast, Steve Naccarato, CEO, Nutiva, talks with Sandy Almendarez, content director, Informa Markets, about the product’s ingredient selection and formulation, as well as the company’s philanthropic efforts.

Concern is high, and answers are few as the dietary supplement industry faces the pandemic COVID-19, the respiratory diseases caused by a novel coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China. By press time, COVID-19 has reached 108 countries, infected nearly 125,000 people, and more than 4,500 people have died. Industries across the world are considering how this virus will play out, and how it will affect their people and products. For supplement brands, special considerations focus on supply chain concerns, FDA enforcement and illegal marketing claims. In this podcast, Jim C. Griffiths, senior vice president of international and scientific affairs, Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), discusses the issues facing supplement brands with Sandy Almendarez, content director, Informa Markets.

Supplement brands that follow procedures to ensure adulterated materials aren’t circulated to other companies will help clean up the industry, create better products and safeguard consumer loyalty. However, shifting operations to reject and destroy ingredients without paying vendors can be scary and risky, especially without these details outlined in supplier agreements. In this podcast, Jim Emme, CEO, NOW Foods Health Group, discusses how brands can help reduce adulteration with help from the Botanical Adulteration Prevention Program (BAPP).