FDA Registration – What it is, why it matters: A Q&A with UNPA’s VP of Global Regulatory and Compliance Larisa Pavlick
Several companies in our industry have elusive complaints departments, leading one to surmise they pay lip service at best to many quality issues. It seems
Sustainable supplements? Do people even care?
ITC Insights For the last few years I’ve been a major proponent of the idea that consumers are becoming more demanding about the ethical and
The generation game: When it comes to sustainability, does age matter?
The results from our July Trust Transparency Center survey are in, and make fascinating reading – with clear differences in priorities regarding sustainability seen between
Consumer Insights: Shopper Priorities in Sustainability
The results from our July Trust Transparency Center survey are in, and there are clear demographic differences in priorities regarding sustainability. In our July survey,

Mid-year grades – 2020 What’s Hot, What’s Not
Every January, we at TTC haul out our crystal ball, test the market, examine all the trend reports, and then present our predictions for the
A Transparency Question – Should Synthetic Supplement Ingredients be Labelled?
Supplements containing synthetic ingredients or excipients have been around for a long time. Most people in the industry define synthetic supplements as supplements made from

Myth Busting: 10 Truths About the REGULATED US Dietary Supplements Industry
I wrote this article a couple years ago, having reached that tipping point of frustration in two areas – hearing over and over that the
Building a more transparent and accountable industry
The most recent broadcast wrongfully condemning dietary supplements, in this case, probiotics, aired Sunday June 28. The “60 Minutes” presentation titled “Do Probiotics Actually Do

Going virtual – Musings from our recent immunity and wellness virtual event
Two weeks ago, Trust Transparency Center, along with our collaborators, Whole Foods Magazine, entered the virtual conference space with our inaugural event, Taking Control of
Supplement consumption patterns are changing – how much?
Let’s face it. There’s no rule book for this current situation. We are experiencing unprecedented change in society across so many aspects of life and

The importance of being … natural?
In the interests of building trust and greater transparency with shoppers, is it time to start rephrasing and qualifying ‘natural’ on our foods and supplements,
What’s Wrong with This Picture? – NOW’s SAM-e Class Action Suit
NOW recently made headlines by providing brand names of CoQ10 and SAM-e manufacturers that were found to be deficient in meeting label claims. A number
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