More Supplement Industry News In Brief
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Free saw palmetto testing: In order to protect "the image of saw palmetto in the mind of consumers," saw palmetto supplier Valensa International is offering marketers complimentary analysis and profiling of saw palmetto extracts used in their products, the Eustis, Fla.-based firm announces Aug. 24. The free testing is available to marketers "whether they buy from Valensa or not" because "maintaining [saw palmetto's] image of quality and efficacy is important, not only to Valensa...but to the nutraceuticals industry as a whole," VP-Sales & Marketing Sid Hulse states in a release. The botanical is "one of the top three nutraceuticals by sale in the North American market," he points out. To test the samples Valensa will employ a "variety of methodologies including gas chromatography when required." Profiling will be based on the USP monograph for saw palmetto extract. "If we want consumers to take us seriously about the issue of quality, we should use this objective standard," Hulse notes. "With this new free program, there is no reason not to deliver the best product to consumers"...