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
Online sales an outlier to more than norms
An article appearing in NutraIngredients-USA last week unveiled the tip of a looming iceberg that we here at Trust Transparency Center (TTC) have been talking
Musings from Vitafoods 2019
I really like Geneva and Vitafoods—I just can’t help it. Over the last 15 years, several Geneva traditions have merged into my own Vitafoods experience
Responsibility in Establishing and Maintaining FDA Audit Readiness
Continuing our plan to detail the regulatory and fundamental quality responsibilities that all brand manufacturers (especially online-only brands) need to embrace, this piece offers a
Musings from SSE 2019
Destination: Secaucus, New Jersey. Timing: early April. While not the most exciting or luxurious of destinations – it’s a great place to do some health ingredient
The Confusing State of States’ Sales Tax
Confusion has been the consistent word whenever we speak of regulations and how they are interpreted and applied to the ecommerce retailer. Usually we are
Community Counts
Humans are social animals. For optimal performance, we need to be engaged, excited, and surrounded by like-minded folk. In order to thrive, we generally need
A Purr-fect Visit to Global Pet Expo
Many of our readers have recently returned from the annual mega-event, Natural Products Expo West 2019. All of us who attended have the same notion
Let Collaboration Fuel your Narrative
Trust Transparency Center is participating in New Hope Network’s Inside the Bottle program for the second year in a row for a reason. The Inside
Musings from Expo West 2019
Another Expo West is in the books – that makes 20 for me, I think. While it’s easy to get jaded after so many Expos,
A rose by any other name – The Amazon CBD Story
The CBD and hemp conversation is extremely confusing right now, and perhaps nowhere more so than in a dialogue with e-tailing giant Amazon. Amazon has
Prebiotic Musings from Probiota 2019
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend and participate in Probiota 2019, held in Copenhagen, Denmark. I’ve been able to participate in