Crisis makes the mind go stronger
These are challenging times, perhaps the most defining in all of our lifetimes. Weeks from now, there will be a whole new normal, laying on
Musings from Natural Products Expo West 2020 – the Expo that Wasn’t
Last week was disappointing. Some have used stronger, more dramatic words, but I think many of us walked around in a bit of a fog.
Musings from Probiota Dublin 2020
The role the microbiome plays in disease and health is becoming more understood with each passing week and new study. That fact was truly a
What’s Wrong with This Picture: Cardax Pharmaceuticals
This edition of “What’s Wrong with This Picture?” highlights a pharmaceutical development company that develops and commercializes anti-inflammatory dietary supplements and drugs. The only revenue
A Regulatory Journey – Putting 2020 into Perspective
As I sat down to write this piece, it ultimately became part reflection, part snapshot. This next decade is going to be interesting for our
A new decade, new opportunities….
As we kick off a new year and new decade, I figured I’d write a few words outlining our TTC thoughts, to augment the What’s
TTC’s 2020 Vision for the Natural Products Industry
This is year three for TTC’s trend predictions and for the most part they’ve held up (check last year’s here). Developing these is never easy—our
Musings from Food Ingredients Europe
I returned Food Ingredients Europe in Paris last week with a solid reaffirmation – try to avoid industry events in France. Don’t get me wrong,
What’s Wrong With This Picture?
Our weekly posts have been entertaining and thought provoking to write. We have covered a number of topics ranging from hopeful to insightful. Today’s post
Happy Thanksgiving!
We are thankful this time of year and always to do work we believe in with and for people we like in an industry that
Flawed nutrition science reporting hurts the industry…what we can do about it
Practically every day there are headlines about a new nutrition study. Some are favorable toward the food item/nutrient/ingredient and some are negative. When the results
How Trust Transparency Sells Supplements
Trust transparency is at the top and bottom of every communication and blog our group posts, but we rarely talk about what the phrase really
Musings From FNCE 2019
For years, I’d heard about it – FNCE, the annual gathering of some 10,000 dietitians, where the sciences of dietetics and nutrition, the food pyramid
Musings from SSW 2019
Another SupplySide West is in the books, and I’m left feeling pretty inadequate in how I covered the show. Sure, I had a productive week,
The Amazon marketplace – September 2019 update
Trust Transparency Center has been following and reporting on the “Amazon Effect” on the dietary supplement industry since March 2017. In that time, the impacts
The dirty dozen – a look at twelve shady and nefarious industry practices to avoid
There’s a toast that I like to offer up at gatherings of friends and colleagues, and in many ways, it truly sums up how I
Supplement Spotlight: Don’t Choke on the Obvious
Every so often the FDA does or says something so biased against the dietary supplement industry that it is difficult to understand how we are
Consumer demand = more trust transparency in the supply chain
A recent Harvard Business Review article reported on a study by researchers at the MIT Sloan School of Management that “found that consumers may be willing
From fake to folly – dietary supplement gates are riddled with holes
If I’m a lay consumer, I remain absolutely confused and befuddled as dietary supplement brands continue to proliferate, in stores and online. A discerning label
Amazon gumming up the supplement market and going to the dogs
It’s been just over 900 days since Amazon launched their first brand of supplements, Amazon Elements, with only four SKUs. Today, the brand carries 50.
Ingredients, Nutrition Science and Disease: A Messy Map
In some of our recent work in the curcumin/turmeric category and emerging prebiotic category we came up against that wall that often faces the dietary
Musings from NBJ Summit 2019
That’s now at least 17 NBJ Summit’s I’ve attended over the past 20 years. I’m a fan of the event, and it’s certainly interesting to
ABC Testing Labs Doesn’t Begin to Describe the Danger of Inadequate Testing Competency
This column has looked at FDA Warning Letters as “must reads” (4/24/2018) and unbelievable reads (6/5/2019), yet a recent FDA Warning Letter to Advanced Botanical
Musings from Probiota Americas 2019
Probiota is the collaboration between William Reed’s NutraIngredients brand and the International Probiotic Association (IPA), a 5-year relationship that has solidified the probiotic community worldwide.
Musings from IFT 2019
Last week I had the opportunity to visit New Orleans, a phenomenal destination, for the 2019 IFT show. Disclosure: I did not take in any
Confidence should be a good thing, right?
You’d think any headline that had the words confidence and supplements in the same headline would be a good thing, right? Not so this past