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WASHINGTON — The Council for Responsible Nutrition on Thursday announced that John Blair, SVP of NSA, has been named chair of the association’s board of directors. Blair, who will hold the chairmanship through 2014, succeeds Jim Hamilton, president of DSM Nutritional Products, USA.

WASHINGTON — The Council for Responsible Nutrition on Tuesday announced the addition of eight new members, including voting members Church & Dwight and P.J. Noyes Co., along with associate members AIBMR Life Sciences, Bell Advisory Services, Biofortis, Creative Flavor Concepts and Nutrasource Diagnostics.

WASHINGTON — The Council for Responsible Nutrition on Thursday kicked off a year-long celebration in honor of the association’s 40th anniversary. Created in 1973 by three companies and a single staffer, CRN is today recognized by many, both inside and outside the industry, as the leading trade association representing more than 100 dietary supplement manufacturers, ingredient suppliers and companies that supply services for the supplement industry.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid is looking to help Americans with their New Year’s resolutions to improve their health by offering customers free extra support, including Better You informational guides in all 4,600 stores, exclusive online health resources and expert advice from Rite Aid pharmacists. Rite Aid's wellness stores will also be offering free health screenings and informational sessions the week of Jan. 13.

HELENA, Mont. — A chain of natural foods stores is opening its third Montana location Monday.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage announced the opening of the new store, in Helena, Mont., following stores in Billings and Missoula earlier this year. The 55-year-old Colorado-based chain offers only natural and organic products.

WILMINGTON, Del. — A federal court has ruled in favor of AstraZeneca in a case regarding a cholesterol drug, the company said.

AstraZeneca said the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware ruling that a patent covering the drug Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium) was valid and enforceable. The patent, which expires in 2016, covers the active ingredient of Crestor.

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — More than five-dozen Albertsons stores in the West will start selling gluten-free frozen pizzas this month.

Better4U Foods said Friday that 63 stores in Albertsons' Intermountain West Division — which includes Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming — would stock the pizzas. Pizza varieties will include Gluten-Free Four Cheese, Gluten-Free Uncured Pepperoni and the vegan Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Roasted Vegetable.

LOS ANGELES — Kowa Health Care America recently launched two supplement products into the U.S. marketplace — NutriDiet, a diet aid, and Okinawa Life. 

NutriDiet has been formulated to aid in the digestion of food and absorption of key nutrients necessary for internal balance. The formulation includes probiotics, prebiotics and green tea catechins in an effort to improve overall health. The combination helps to promote intestinal health, while assisting in burning fat to create a healthy weight balance.

The Obama administration’s ambitious overhaul of the nation’s healthcare system weathered some significant challenges in 2012 and came through relatively unscathed.


The first major test came in June, when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to overturn the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, while still ruling that the law’s provision requiring individuals to obtain health insurance was unconstitutional.


What saved the ACA was the court’s decision that the government’s mandate to purchase health insurance qualified as a tax. 


The economy continues to be the single largest influencer in the growth of the health, beauty and wellness industry. The annual inflation rate has averaged just more than 2% during the past five years. More than ever, consumers are focused on living well with less and are making every effort to save money. Manufacturers are struggling to manage the ever-increasing cost of goods sold, and retailers are under tremendous pressure to increase profits in a very competitive environment.


GREENWICH, Conn. — Brynwood Partners VI on Monday announced that it has sold its Balance Bar Company, which manufactures nutrition and energy bars, to NBTY. 

NEWBURY, Ohio — Hebron USA on Monday announced the launch of the Florax DS, a line of ready-to-drink probiotics that doesn't require refrigeration. 

Florax DS products are formulated with a proprietary strain of the probiotic yeast called Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Cepa Fr 1972, also known as a nutritional or brewers' yeast.  

The Florax DS RTDs will be available in two flavors — original and raspberry — through Drugstore.com, Meijer, Discount Drug Mart and Rainforestsremedies.com.