Weekly Roundup: NattoPharma lands patents in Canada and South Korea, Bon Natural Life and Chongqing Jingfubao to partner

10 Sep 2021 --- This week in nutrition news, a successful ingredient examination period resulted in in-process patents in Canada and South Korea of NattoPharma’s MenaQ7 Vitamin K2. Bon Natural Life Limited announced a strategic cooperation with Chongqing Jingfubao to penetrate the digestive and immune health consumer market. Meanwhile, ADM acquired a combined 75 percent ownership stake of four pet nutrition companies.

In brief: Business News
NattoPharma, a part of Gnosis by Lesaffre, secured patents in Canada and South Korea for its nature-identical synthesis creating MenaQ7 PharmaPure Vitamin K2 as MK-7. NattoPharma has made significant intellectual and monetary investments in technologies. The company says it is committed to actively monitoring market developments to protect its intellectual property rights throughout its lifespan.

Bio-ingredient solutions provider Bon Natural Life announced its principal operating entity has entered into a memorandum of understanding for a strategic cooperation agreement with Chongqing Jingfubao Trading (JFB). This agreement will provide multichannel marketing and sales solutions for Bon Natural Life’s proprietary human microbiome-based products for digestive and immune health. JFB operates an e-commerce platform specializing in marketing and selling health and personal care products in China. According to the agreement, JFB will market Bon Natural Life’s products online and offline to its extensive distribution network of health-conscious customers. The two parties plan to sign an official partnership agreement shortly.

ADM has reached an agreement to acquire a 75 percent ownership stake in PetDine, Pedigree Ovens, The Pound Bakery and NutraDine (P4 Companies), premier providers of private label pet treats and supplements. The transaction values the four enterprises in their entirety at approximately US$600 million. ADM will also acquire P4’s 300,000 square feet of production and innovation facilities in Illinois and Colorado. In addition, the agreement includes a put/call option under which the parties could agree for ADM to purchase the remaining 25 percent at an agreed-upon market price in the coming years.Sundown Kids products support children’s immune health and feature vitamin C and D.

Alete Active Nutrition, formerly known as RoadRunner, announced the acquisition of Bonk Breaker Nutrition, a nutrition company. The acquisition adds to Alete Nutrition’s portfolio of premium nutrition offerings to support athletes, with a family of brands that include SaltStick, JoJé Bar, Vitassium and now Bonk Breaker. Bonk Breaker Founder Jason Winn envisioned products built on natural ingredients that would be absorbed and processed efficiently and paired with fast-burning energy with slower, longer-burning energy.

Herbalife Nutrition launched the “Herbalife Nutrition Dialogue Series: The vision of a healthier APAC through nutrition awareness.” It is a compilation of videos featuring renowned experts in nutrition, health and wellness. Herbalife Nutrition aims to equip consumers with accurate nutrition information through the Dialogue Series and emphasize the importance of multi-sector collaboration toward building a healthier community in this region. The dialogue will feature talks about tackling diabetes, healthy aging and heart health. The Dialogue Series was developed after a Herbalife Nutrition survey showed substantial nutrition knowledge gaps among consumers in the Asia Pacific area.

In brief: Launches and releases
Nutritional beverage company Glucose Health launched GlucoDown, “enhanced water” drink mixes, after 16 months in development. The beverages are positioned as “diabetic friendly” and come in cherry, peach mango, watermelon and strawberry banana. GlucoDown is enriched with soluble fiber clinically demonstrated to help maintain healthy blood sugar and regular digestive health. GlucoDown’s nutritional profile is suitable for people following a keto diet. It also contains micro and macronutrients associated with maintaining a healthy glycemic response to digestible carbohydrates. It’s enriched with an extract of Banaba plant and has bioavailable vitamins and minerals.Umar Jan, president of Sabinsa’s European operations.

The Bountiful Company’s brand, Sundown Kids, launched two products to support children’s immune health. The two are Sundown Kids Vitamin C Gummies and Sundown Kids Vitamin D3 Gummies. The line is designed to support children’s immune systems and is gluten and dairy-free. The orange-flavored Sundown Kids Vitamin C Gummies help to maintain strong joints, gums and heart health. They also contain antioxidants. The Sundown Kids Vitamin D3 Gummies target immune health, strong bones and teeth.

Algalif Iceland has added two types of astaxanthin beadlets to its product portfolio in partnership with Divi’s Nutraceuticals. These beadlets are made by Divis with sustainable natural astaxanthin from Algalif. One type is specifically formulated for use in powdered drink mixes and beverages. It offers quick dissolution when added to water. The other type is used for nutritional bars and soft tablets. It provides direct compressibility without oil extrusion and discoloration of tablets.

In brief: Announcements and certifications
Four of DSM’s plants joined the first batch of companies in China’s Jiangsu Province to sign Renewable Energy Power Purchase Agreements. The four plants, which will run on renewable energy, are DSM Engineering Materials, DSM Jiangshan Pharmaceutical, DSM Biotechnology and Biomin China. The agreement puts all four sites on track to be powered by 100 percent renewable energy from January 2022. The renewable energy initiative in Jiangsu has opened new pathways to energy conservation and carbon reduction in manufacturing, allowing DSM to realize sustainable growth and environmental benefits while enhancing the competitiveness of the products.

Manufacturer and supplier of herbal extracts, Sabinsa promoted Umar Jan to the president of European operations. Jan, who most recently held the role of resident director, Sabinsa Europe, joined the EU Technical Sales Manager in 2013. Jan received an executive MBA degree from Mannheim Business School and a doctorate in Biochemistry from Goethe University. Before joining Sabinsa, he worked at international research institutes, including the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg. Dr. Jan has published several papers in high-impact peer-reviewed journals such as Nature, Nature Methods, Nature Communications, EMBO, and JBC.PHE research suggests that those who used and followed the NHS Weight Loss Plan app lost 5.8 kg.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission posted warning letters to ten companies for illegally selling dietary supplements that claim to cure, treat, mitigate, or prevent diabetes, violating the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). The FDA urges consumers not to use these or similar products because they have not been evaluated by the FDA to be safe or effective for their intended use and may be harmful. The warning letters were issued to Live Good, Pharmaganics, Lysulin, Nuturna International, Phytage Labs, Ar-Rahmah Pharm, Metamune, Holistic Healer & Wellness Center, Radhanite and Aceva. Under the FD&C Act, products intended to diagnose, cure, treat, mitigate or prevent disease are drugs and are subject to the requirements that apply to drugs, even if they are labeled as dietary supplements.

In brief: Research and studies
Research published by Public Health England (PHE) suggests that those who used and followed the NHS Weight Loss Plan app over 12 weeks reported a loss on average of almost a stone (5.8 kg). The nationwide survey of over 5,000 adults revealed that around 4 in 10 (41 percent) adults in England say they had put on weight since the first lockdown in March 2020. PHE has therefore launched the latest Better Health campaign to encourage adults across the nation to lose excess weight, eat more healthily and get active this summer. The new campaign offers free evidence-based support and guidance to those working toward a healthier weight. There are various NHS-endorsed apps that will help people introduce changes that will help them eat better and get active this summer, including the newly updated NHS Weight Loss Plan app.

By Nicole Kerr