CRN Celebrates 40 Years, Welcomes 8 New Members

The association’s highly respected scientific team has long been acknowledged as the best in the industry, helping CRN gain a worldwide reputation for producing, promoting and defending “the science behind the supplements.”

9 Jan 2013 --- The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the dietary supplement industry’s leading trade association, has announced the addition of eight new members: Voting Members—Church & Dwight Co., Inc., headquartered in Princeton, N.J.; and P.J. Noyes Company, Inc., headquartered in Lancaster, N.H.; Associate Members—AIBMR Life Sciences, Inc., headquartered in Puyallup, Wash.; Bell Advisory Services, headquartered in New Bedford, Mass.; Biofortis Inc., headquartered in Addison, Ill.; Creative Flavor Concepts, headquartered in Irvine, Calif.; and Nutrasource Diagnostics, Inc., headquartered in Ontario, Canada; and International Member—Blackmores Ltd., headquartered in Warriewood, Australia.

Church & Dwight manufactures and markets a wide range of personal care, household and specialty products under the ARM&HAMMER brand name and other well-known trademarks. In 2012, Church & Dwight acquired Avid Health, Inc., the manufacturer of gummy vitamins sold under the L’il Critters and Vitafusion brands.

P.J. Noyes Company is a state-of-the-art contract manufacturer and packager of high quality dietary supplements, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and more. The company, which has been operating for more than 140 years, produces products in the forms of tablets, capsules, liquids, creams, lotions and ointments.

AIBMR Life Sciences, Inc., was founded in 1978 and is a full-service natural products and functional foods consulting company specializing in scientific research, FDA regulatory compliance, comprehensive toxicological safety assessments, product development, GRAS self-determinations, NDI notifications, and academic journal publications. AIBMR's core staff is comprised of an experienced team of Naturopathic Physicians (ND) and PhD research scientists.

Bell Advisory Services is a consultancy that specializes in business development for leading firms in the food and nutrition industries. The firm has extensive expertise in the development of scientific testing protocols, distribution channels, branding and consumer awareness of high-performance natural products.

Biofortis is a global contract research organization that provides expert nutrition services to research and development professionals, including clinical trial services, literature reviews, as well as bioanalytical and sensory/consumer testing. The firm, which has a presence in Europe, the U.S., China and Brazil, aims to advance the science of chronic disease prevention by designing and conducting clinical trials.

Creative Flavor Concepts is an expert in product development, product commercialization and flavor creation for beverages, nutritional supplements and functional foods. The firm’s approach to product development and R&D is designed to move the product from concept to completion in the shortest time possible.

Nutrasource Diagnostics Inc. (NDI) is a contract research organization and consulting firm that specializes in regulatory affairs, clinical trials, product analytics and development of novel cardiovascular diagnostics. The firm, which is the developer and exclusive provider of the International Fish Oil Standards Program (IFOS) and the International Krill Oil Standards Program (IKOS), is also developing testing programs for plant-based oils, algae oils, muscle and fitness products and botanicals. NDI assists food, beverage, dietary supplement and pharma companies in concept to claim project management.

Blackmores, the leading natural health brand in Australia, develops and markets health products including vitamins, herbal and mineral nutritional supplements. The firm has operations in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. Blackmores is recognized as the most trusted vitamin brand in Australia, Malaysia and Thailand.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) kicked off a year-long celebration today in honor of the association’s 40th anniversary. Created in 1973 by three companies and a single staffer, forty years later CRN is 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.

The anniversary highlights a long list of accomplishments for CRN on behalf of its member companies and the responsible dietary supplement industry. The association’s highly respected scientific team has long been acknowledged as the best in the industry, helping CRN gain a worldwide reputation for producing, promoting and defending “the science behind the supplements.” CRN’s reputation and notable successes extend to lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill, providing leadership to bridge the gap between regulators and industry, fighting globally for regulation based on science-based principles, and executing innovative communications and education efforts.

During its 40 year history, CRN has been at the forefront of landmark legislation for the industry, playing key roles in the passage of the Vitamin Bill (1976), the Nutrition Labeling Education Act (1990), the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (1994) and the Dietary Supplement and Non-Prescription Drug Consumer Protection Act (2006). This year, CRN will host its tenth annual Day on the Hill to bring members of the supplement industry to the Capitol. Instrumental in establishing the Congressional Dietary Supplement Caucus, the association educates members of Congress about the benefits—both health-related and economic—that the supplement industry provides.

On the regulatory front, CRN was heavily involved in the development of appropriate GMP regulations, working with other associations and the Food and Drug Administration, to strike a balance between quality assurance and burden on industry. CRN’s scientific staff regularly publishes in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and is responsible for several authoritative scientific works on dietary supplements including the Benefits of Nutritional Supplements, authored by Annette Dickinson, first published in 1987 and updated five times, and John Hathcock’s book, Vitaminand Mineral Safety, which was first published in 1997 and updated in 2004.

In recent years, CRN has also been a leader internationally, first obtaining official designation as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) eligible to participate actively in Codex Alimentarius meetings and working groups (thus becoming the first—and for many years the only—NGO representing dietary supplement interests in this critical international arena), and later forming an international arm of CRN, CRN-International (CRN-I), which recently hosted its third annual conference for international regulators in Germany.

CRN maintains its position as the go-to association for the media, consistently responding and providing balance to scientific studies covered by mainstream journalists. Five years ago, CRN launched the highly acclaimed consumer education campaign “Life…supplemented” which was awarded the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Silver Anvil award, the society’s highest honor.

“For forty years CRN has been the voice of the dietary supplement industry. We have grown from a small organization to one that, although small in numbers is large in stature, recognized on par with much larger associations serving other industries,” said Steve Mister, president & CEO, CRN, since 2004. “Our success and longevity is a credit to the leadership from our Board of Directors, and our member companies who are committed to responsibly manufacturing and marketing high quality, safe and beneficial products that consumers can trust, and sustaining an industry environment worthy of that trust. As a result, CRN has become a credible and reliable scientific resource for legislators, regulators, scientists, journalists and consumers on all matters related to dietary supplements.”

According to John J. Blair, chairman, CRN Board of Directors, and vice president of NSA, LLC (JuicePlus+), “CRN’s strong efforts in its first forty years have helped create an environment that allows for companies to responsibly develop, manufacture and market dietary supplements and nutritional ingredients that will help consumers live healthier lives. Not only have our own member companies benefitted from CRN, but so has the industry at large, as well as consumers who have access to a wide variety of healthful products. I am confident that our industry, as well as CRN, will continue to thrive. I look forward to a future where dietary supplements are universally accepted as an essential choice for consumers to achieve and maintain good health and wellness. And I look forward to CRN helping us get there.”