OPTIMUM NUTRITION LAUNCHING FIVE SPORTS NUTRITIONALS

OPTIMUM NUTRITION LAUNCHING FIVE SPORTS NUTRITIONALS that are expected to appear on-shelf by Sept. 1, according to Costello's Health & Fitness, a distributor and marketer of Optimum Nutrition products. Chicago-based Costello's said it has begun shipping three of the five new products: Naturally Ripped, Super Growth Enhancer, and L-carnitine tablets. The remaining two -- Opti-Vite supplements and L-carnitine liquid -- will begin shipping by the week of Aug. 16, according to Costello's. The five new products will be promoted through shelf-talkers and consumer brochures, Costello's said. Print ads in body builder magazines including Muscle Media 2000, Muscle & Fitness, and Muscular Development also will be used to support the launch. Optimum Nutrition's Naturally Ripped "metabolic activating formula" consists of Kola extract 1,100 mg, Ma Huang extract 600 mg, L-carnitine 100 mg, Dong Quai 100 mg, Golden Seal Root 100 mg, and chromium picolinate 200 mcg. A 100-capsule bottle carries a suggested retail price of $ 21.63, while a bottle of 200 capsules is priced at $ 38.25. The recommended six-tablet dose of Super Growth Enhancer contains L-arginine 6,000 mg, L-ornithine 3,000 mg, hypothalamus 50 mg, pituitary gland 50 mg, vitamin C 200 mg and vitamin B[6] 20 mg. One 90-count bottle of the "maximum strength," "growth hormone enhancing formula" has a suggested retail price of $ 17.50; a 180-count bottle carries a $ 31.90 suggested price. Hi-Potency L-Carnitine 750 is sold in 50- and 100-tablet bottles at $ 18.95 and $ 33.95 suggested retail, respectively. The tablets contain 750 mg of "100% natural free-form L-carnitine" in pure crystalline form, the label states. Labeling for Liquid L-Carnitine 1000 touts the product as a "high potency/fast absorbing" maximum strength formula. Available in a 12-ounce bottle, a one-tablespoon dose offers a 1,000 mg dose of L-carnitine with 20 mg pantothenic acid "to help the natural absorption of L-carnitine into the body," labeling maintains. The suggested retail price for the product is $ 17.95. Opti-Vites multivitamin, multi-mineral formula is sold in bottles of 100 tablets priced at $ 7.50 suggested retail. The product is positioned as a value-priced dietary supplement, and is expected to be stocked beside the other Optimum Nutrtion sports nutritionals. Optimum Nutrition has been shipping two other sports nutritionals since June: the Optimizer supplement shake mix and Hi-Potency Vanadyl Sulfate tablets. The "high performance" Optimizer is described by labeling as "an all-inclusive powder" containing vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and protein. Jars of 1.5 pounds carry a suggested retail price of $ 11.97, while jars of 3.2 pounds are priced at $ 21.99. The vanadyl sulfate tablets consist of 10 mg vanadyl sulfate, "a trace mineral that imitates the action of insulin," according to product labeling. A 100-count bottle has a suggested retail price of $ 13.50. Costello's, which has facilities in Chicago, Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale and South Brunswick, N.J., distributes Optimum Nutrition products nationwide to Jim's Health Clubs, General Nutrition Centers, health food stores and select supermarkets. Costello's has been the exclusive marketer, packager and distributor for Optimum Nutrition since Costello's founding in 1985.