Examining US and UK supplement retail purchasing behavior
By some estimates, over 90% of the global population has been in some form of lockdown with dramatic changes in lifestyle and behavior in recent
A Real Virtual Reality
We’re nearly three months into the COVID-19 crisis and people have made vast adjustments to their personal and professional lifestyles. Many of us are working
What’s Wrong with this Picture? Focus on Contract Manufacturing
We’ve talked about this before. Possibly the most opaque element of the dietary supplement supply chain is the contract manufacturer. Arguably, contract manufacturers have the
Why now? Introducing the Collagen Stewardship Alliance
Collagen is the most abundant protein in our body. It’s everywhere. But as the science behind collagen consumption continues to gain traction, and consumer interest spikes, the need for quality assurance and
Some Good News – Natural Products Industry Edition
If you haven’t been following John Krasinky’s Some Good News YouTube channel you should. It’s a digest of the good things happening around the world
Consumer insights: What immune ingredients do shoppers want right now?
The results from our March Trust Transparency Center survey are in, and provide some interesting insights into how consumers understand and purchase supplements related to
Immunity: It’s a big word right now … but what does it mean, and why is it confusing everyone?
Talking about immunity can be a complex beast at the best of times, right now it’s almost impossible. Let’s try to clear up some of
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