Today’s consumers are accustomed to purchasing products with the click of a mouse or the tap of a smartphone. But thanks to subscription services, they can secure an ongoing supply of all their favorite products, paid for and delivered, with practically no effort at all. From beauty boxes and wine clubs to hot sauce and coffee, there’s truly a subscription box for everyone. And dietary supplements are no exception.

“The supplement market is going through a major transition,” says Shawn Bushouse, president of emerging brands at Nestlé Health Science, the parent company behind Persona. “Customers are really investing more time in their wellness and demanding more convenient, more effective, and more personalized models that we’ve seen really come to life in personalized subscriptions.”

The benefits for consumers are clear. In addition to the convenience factor, services like Persona also eliminate the confusion and sense of overwhelm that many consumers experience in a supplement store. With a subscription service, consumers need only log onto the website, complete a questionnaire about their health and goals, and—poof!—a customized daily vitamin plan is generated. “It’s simple, it’s convenient, it takes away the guesswork, and, since their refill arrives every month, it keeps them on track,” adds Bushouse.

The COVID-19 pandemic also played a role, adds Ordergroove strategic client director Kyle Beldoch, when consumers subscribed in droves in lieu of visiting stores. “All these months later, consumers have stayed with subscriptions because they are convenient and cost-effective,” he says.

But the benefits for brands are even more substantial, says Beldoch. Not only do subscription services generate reliable, recurring revenue (helpful for forecasting financials and inventory), but they also help brands retain customers and grow lifetime value. “Instead of spending valuable resources to capture a customer who might make a single purchase, subscriptions enable brands to lock in customers who are going to make multiple, guaranteed purchases,” he explains. “Simply put, subscriptions are an extremely efficient business model.”

Brands looking to launch a subscription service can benefit from lessons learned over the course of the last few years. Bushouse’s top tip is to stay connected to the consumer, rather than treating them like a one-time transaction. Persona, for example, has a dedicated team of highly trained nutritionists and customer service representatives who reach out to customers proactively, learn about their goals and needs, and respond promptly. “We answer questions, point customers to resources, help adjust their personal pack, and do everything we can to deepen that relationship by helping them succeed,” he adds.

One of Beldoch’s top lessons learned was eliminating any point of friction during the enrollment process. “Any friction, be it poor branding or a complicated checkout process, is going to dissuade shoppers from signing up for a subscription service,” he says. To that end, he recommends that brands work with a subscription technology provider, and especially one that offers an integrated checkout that streamlines the ordering process without sending consumers to a different site for payment.

And while bundling products has been a popular subscription tactic, supply chain issues impacting one product can cause disruptions and cancellations that can affect an entire order. Instead, Ancestral Supplements Chief Marketing Officer Carl Mixon has found the most success with add-ons, upsells, and loyalty rewards.

Beldoch thinks artificial intelligence will become a significant tool for the subscription supplement market in the coming years. For example, at Ordergroove, artificial intelligence signals the brand when a subscriber has overstock on hand, and enables them to proactively reach out to pause an order before the consumer cancels. “Brands that utilize this tool have a higher retention rate and increased consumer lifetime value,” says Beldoch.

If you ask Bushouse, supplement subscription services of the future will only become more sophisticated. “Really, the biggest challenge for any provider is pace of change,” he says. “Consumers will look for deeper personalization, greater product transparency, efficacy, and a more effortless experience from end to end. As technology becomes more sophisticated and consumer needs evolve, we have to work hard every day to evolve with them.”

Articles

Convenience is the hook, but the most successful dietary supplement subscription services offer personalized customer service, bespoke combinations, artificial intelligence, and more.

Dietary supplement subscription programs start with convenience but should offer much more

Consumers want more from their snacks. According to Mondelez International’s third annual “State of Snacking” report measuring consumer priorities for snacks in 2021, while convenience was the top attribute cited by 91% of survey respondents, consumers also greatly valued freshness (90%), indulgence (85%), healthiness (84%), energizing (82%), and uniqueness (74%).

Notice that “healthy” trailed “indulgence” by only a slim margin. The healthfulness of a snack still matters to consumers. Broken down by generation, the report found that Generation Z consumers were more likely to snack to relieve anxiety and boredom, Generation X consumers were more likely to see snacks as comfort food, while millennials were more likely to eat snacks to meet nutritional needs. But while 85% of millennials may approach snacks as a way to meet nutritional needs, this sentiment was still largely shared by 78% of survey respondents overall; in fact, the number of respondents stating they value snacks for nutrition rose 8% in 2021 from 2020. 

Desire for functional snacks is growing. The 2021 report found that 33% of consumers actively sought vitamin-rich snacks in 2020, while 48% of respondents in 2021 said they imagined seeking vitamin-rich foods in the coming years. The same is true of protein content and gut health benefits. The report stated that in 2020, 31% and 27% of respondents actively sought snacks that are high in protein and support the gut, respectively, while 44% of respondents in 2021 stated they imagined themselves seeking snacks with these attributes in the future.

For snack manufacturers, utilizing pulse ingredients can be a highly effective way to meet nutrient, protein, and digestive health demands in the snack category.

“Snack developers that use wholesome ingredients like beans, pulses, nuts, seeds, and ancient grains can appeal to the health-conscious consumer with added protein and fiber as well as visual interest. Crackers and chips with visible elements of seeds or beans can catch shoppers’ eyes scanning store shelves for health-forward snacks,” says John Powers, marketing director, snacking and baked goods, ADM (Chicago).

According to the Global Pulse Confederation, studies show that people who eat at least a half cup of pulses (such as beans, lentils, chickpeas, and peas) per day have higher intakes of fiber, protein, calcium, potassium, folate, zinc, iron, and magnesium. As a source of protein, pulses contain 2-3 times higher levels compared to cereal grains such as wheat, rice, quinoa, oats, barley, and corn. When it comes to fiber, one cup of cooked pulses gives you more than half the amount of fiber you need for the entire day.

These values are on the consumer’s mind. “Our research shows that 43% of U.S. consumers are aware of protein quality, 37% are aware of nutrient density, and 30% are aware of protein diversity, indicating the desire to see these attributes in their food purchases,” adds Powers.

Pulses can also create the sensory experience consumers are looking for in their snacks. “Beans and pulses, in particular, can add crucial sensorial appeal and functionality as well as be the source for protein and fiber,” explains Powers. “We see shoppers gravitate towards extruded snacks with visible black beans, lentils, and chickpeas, particularly as they recognize these ingredients and perceive them to be ‘closer to nature,’ which is an important attribute to meet clean-label demands. They also help add intriguing textural, flavor, and color profiles that can entice repeat purchases. Moreover, beans have bulking capabilities, which can help when sugar or fat is reduced in snacks.”

On the other hand, beans and legumes require lots of water to functionalize and fully hydrate. “Formulators must find the right bean-to-water ratio to achieve the desired texture,” says Powers. “Another area of consideration is the type of beans used. For instance, gelatinized beans can more easily bind water, helping them remain stable and provide key binding for snack products, mitigating the need for additional binding ingredients.”

Ultimately, the goal is better-for-you snacks that don’t sacrifice taste and texture. Consumers are not only buying for themselves but for their loved ones. For example, millennials were cited as the generation most likely to buy snacks to meet nutritional needs, but many millennials are also parents, purchasing snacks for their children who are not looking at the nutrition facts panel but judging products with their senses.

“Parents are more focused on a range of ‘free from’ labels and clean label–centered cues, as well as nutritional attributes like low sugar,” Powers observes. Also, “Snack brands should look to clearly communicate sustainability claims, especially as more consumers are aware of how their snacking choices align with their values and may impact not only themselves but also their families and communities.”

Pulses offer high nutritional value, including protein and fiber content, for that healthy halo consumers are looking for in snacks.

Healthy Snacks: Pulse ingredients create a healthy halo

Marine and algae ingredients are a research hotspot, with multiple suppliers investing in clinical trials on ingredients sourced from plankton, seaweed, jellyfish, and an array of other forms of sea life. These studies are investigating algae for a wide variety of applications, from eye health to sports nutrition and beyond. In addition, supplier sustainability initiatives are making marine ingredients more eco-friendly while also securing the supply chain.

Ahead, we look at some of the exciting developments indicating that formulators shouldn’t sleep on the vast opportunities algae and marine ingredients present.

Fucoidan is a long-chain sulfated polysaccharide derived from various species of brown seaweed, typically 

(wakame). In recent years, fucoidan has attracted significant research investment for all manner of applications.

Since 2012, global fucoidan research has accelerated, with the body of research around this compound now comprising more than 2,300 peer-reviewed papers, notes Amanda Mackinnon, marketing and communications manager for Marinova (Cambridge, Tasmania, Australia). In 2021 alone, more than 200 new studies explored fucoidan’s potential applications in immune health, gut health, and as an anti-inflammatory, she says.

Fucoidan researchers are now turning their attention toward skin conditions. Marinova’s newest study

 trial that the company conducted and funded in partnership with StratiCELL (Isnes, Belgium), examined the effects of Marinova’s topically applied 

 extracts on gene expression of atopic dermatitis and bacterial adhesion to reconstructed skin.

A simulated form of atopic dermatitis was induced through 48 hours of direct application to the skin of the Th2-related cytokines IL-4, IL-13, and IL-25. During the next 48 hours, the two types of fucoidan extracts were applied topically to five skin samples at a 100 microgram-per-milliliter dose. 

 cultures from the American Type Culture Collection were introduced into the samples at a 10

 CFU/ml concentration for 30 minutes. Two control compounds, phosphate buffered saline and dimethyl sulfoxide, were separately administered to two samples of reconstructed skin. The study authors ran gene expression analysis and immunoassay tests on the samples, and examined the samples for colonization.

Both types of fucoidan extracts were found to downregulate CD44 antigen and S100A6, a pair of genes associated with inflammation and atopic dermatitis. Both types of fucoidan extract also reduced 

“Importantly, fucoidan did not affect the adhesion of 

 a common bacterium found on healthy skin,” Mackinnon says. “The results suggest fucoidan may be a useful topical agent to assist in the future management of eczema.”

Exploring Jellyfish Collagen’s Cognitive Benefits

Collagen has long been a popular ingredient in the beauty-from-within market and has made significant inroads in joint health and several other markets. Upcoming studies will now investigate a novel form of collagen sourced from edible, wild-caught cannonball and barrel jellyfish.

Certified Nutraceuticals (Pauma Valley, CA) is finalizing a comprehensive research plan for its branded KollaJell, a collagen ingredient sourced from jellyfish, says Abdul Alkayali, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing. This multiyear research plan will illuminate KollaJell’s mechanism of action and evaluate its effects on cognitive performance in a human clinical trial.

“KollaJell is a first-of-its-kind collagen that contains all 20 essential and nonessential amino acids for healthy brain function,” Alkayali explains. “It’s rich in glutamate, glycine, tryptophan, and tyrosine, which form neurotransmitters and control homeostasis in the gut-brain axis.” In fact, KollaJell contains a variety of brain health macronutrients that aren’t found in other types of collagen, including phosphorus, iron, silicon, magnesium, calcium, zinc, manganese, and sulfur, Alkayali says.

Studies have already examined jellyfish collagen for its high antioxidant content as well as its potential uses in cell cultures, tissue scaffolding, and wound healing. Certified Nutraceuticals received a U.S. patent for KollaJell in 2019, followed by a Chinese patent in 2021.

Phytoplankton Ingredient Boosts Sports Performance

Sports nutrition and algae may not seem like a natural pairing, but new research demonstrates that the microalgae phytoplankton can provide benefits to athletes.

One 2021 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel clinical trial

 marine phytoplankton supplied by Lonza (Morristown, NJ) on ground reaction forces, perceived recovery status, and explosive strength in 22 male and female subjects between the ages of 18 and 45.

The subjects were randomly assigned to receive either 25 mg of Oceanix per day, or a placebo, for five weeks. All subjects underwent a five-week resistance-training program consisting of tri-weekly sessions. Resistance loads were gradually increased over the five weeks until the subjects reached muscular failure. Each session was preceded by a warm-up routine of squats and submaximal countermovement jumps. Each session was followed by a cooldown period that involved 20-second stretches repeated twice. A certified strength and conditioning specialist supervised all sessions.

The testing phase of this trial involved two force plate countermovement jumps with arm swing, performed at maximum exertion, with a 30-second break in between. A pair of force plates measured the amount of force exerted during each jump. The study authors also recorded the subjects’ maximum jump height, and subjects underwent a blood draw. All of these tests were performed at baseline and after six weeks, with additional jump tests at the end of week 2 and week 5. Subjects also had their height, weight, and body composition measured with a stadiometer, a digital scale, and a whole-body X-ray device.

After five weeks, the subjects receiving Oceanix reported greater changes in Perceived Recovery Status than the placebo group. While both groups saw decreases in their peak and mean explosive strength after week 2 and week 5, the placebo group’s decreases were significantly larger and lasted significantly longer than the Oceanix group’s decreases. At the week 6 post-trial follow-up visit, the Oceanix group’s mean explosive strength had returned to 98% of baseline, while the placebo group’s mean explosive strength was 68% of baseline. The authors of this Lonza-sponsored trial concluded that marine phytoplankton improves exercise recovery.

Marine phytoplankton offers a variety of advantages over traditional sports nutrition products, says Lindsey Toth, director of global marketing for Lonza Capsules & Health Ingredients. In contrast with products like creatine monohydrate, Toth says, phytoplankton is clean-label and plant-based.

“Microalgae ingredients are a nutritional powerhouse,” she notes. “They’re rich in antioxidants and offer a variety of essential nutrients, including amino acids, fatty acids, calcium, iron, zinc, and vitamins. This nutrition density leads them to support various active nutrition goals such as improved strength and reduced recovery time.”

An Astaxanthin with Improved Sustainability

Suppliers are very much focused on the sustainability of their marine ingredients. Preserving the integrity of ocean life is critically important for these companies as concerns around overfishing grow.

Research demonstrates that the over-extraction of marine life like coral and algae creates a domino effect that is disrupting the marine ecosystem.

 But there’s hope. While Dalhousie University (Nova Scotia, Canada) marine biologist Boris Worm, PhD, previously predicted that overfishing is on track to cause the total collapse of the global marine industry by 2048

, he now says that the proliferation of marine conservation initiatives and the introduction of government-run marine supply chain management programs have given the marine industry a second chance at long-term viability.

One emerging sustainability initiative helping to secure the marine ingredient supply chain involves extracting marine ingredients from alternative sources.

Take astaxanthin. There are few microorganisms in nature that produce astaxanthin, says Elzaphan Hotam, CEO of NextFerm Technologies (Berkeley Heights, NJ). Although astaxanthin is classically conceived of as a marine ingredient given its high prevalence in salmon, shrimp, algae, and other marine life, Hotam says his company’s proprietary fermentation process enables it to extract astaxanthin from 

yeast instead of algae. The company’s branded astaxanthin product AstaFerm, derived from fermentation, is designed for incorporation into a variety of applications like softgels, gummies, and water-soluble powders.

“Fermentation requires minimal use of land, water, and electricity,” Hotam says. But there are other benefits, too. For instance, “It also maintains better batch-to-batch consistency, higher potency, and less flavoring,” he says. “Our flavorless powder for gummies, for example, is about 10 times more potent than algae-based.”

NextFerm is also investing in research on its astaxanthin. The company is planning to follow up its previous clinical trials on astaxanthin’s effects on oxidative stress with further trials on other indications.

Algae-based ingredients are undergoing significant innovation and research, with new studies demonstrating everything from potential antibacterial benefits to sports nutrition and cognitive health applications. Sustainability initiatives are also giving rise to more formulator-friendly ingredients. By looking to the sea, brands and suppliers will find new opportunities for functional, sustainable algae products.

Modulation of gene expression in a sterile atopic dermatitis model and inhibition of 

Marine phytoplankton improves exercise recovery in humans and activates repair mechanisms in rats

International Journal of Sports Medicine, 

vol. 42, no. 12 (November 2021): 1070-1082

How Overfishing Threatens the World’s Oceans – and Why It Could End in Catastrophe.

Impacts of biodiversity loss on ocean ecosystem services

vol. 314, no. 5800 (November 3, 2006): 787-790

We Projected a Fisheries Collapse by 2048—Now There Is Reason for Hope

Biomass and height of Ascophyllum nodosum after two decades of continuous commercial harvesting in eastern Canada

A reduction in behavioral pattern separation is attenuated by dietary supplementation with a magnesium-rich marine mineral blend in middle-aged rats

Published online ahead of print June 29, 2021.

Effects of anthocyanin, astaxanthin, and lutein on eye functions: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition, 

What new scientific developments are underway in algae and marine ingredients?

The Age of Algae: R&D advances algae’s potential for health and nutrition

Like the ocean itself, the quality of marine ingredients available to the dietary supplement market is both vast and variable. As more dietary supplements begin incorporating bioactive compounds derived from seaweeds, it is important that premium supplement brands maintain their focus on sourcing only high-quality ingredients with validated efficacy. Ahead, we look at the challenges of and best practices when sourcing one type of marine ingredient in particular: fucoidan.

The variability in the quality of marine ingredients is well illustrated in the global fucoidan market. Fucoidans are high-value compounds found naturally in brown seaweeds. These unique marine extracts are increasingly being incorporated into nutraceuticals in the immune support, gut and digestive health, and healthy aging categories. With over 2,300 published peer-reviewed papers now attesting to the potential beneficial properties of fucoidans, it is a fitting time to shine a spotlight on the importance of fucoidan quality.

A comprehensive fucoidan review paper describes the growing regulatory approvals for the use of fucoidan ingredients in foods and dietary supplements.

 High-purity, certified-organic fucoidans now hold FDA-notified GRAS status in the U.S. and Novel Food approval in the EU, for instance. (Disclosure: This review paper was authored by employees of the company I represent, Marinova Pty Ltd.)The review also noted that not only do global regulatory approvals continue to expand, but that so, too, does the quality of commercially available fucoidan extracts. Studies showed that some fucoidan preparations sold commercially for use in food and dietary supplements may not contain fucoidan as stated—particularly from suppliers unable to substantiate provenance and transparency. Some preparations are alternative polysaccharides, while others may be substituted with glucose or cellulose.

Two key determinants of fucoidan quality are the method of extraction and the quality of the seaweed from which the fucoidan has been derived. Traditionally, fucoidan manufacturers have utilized solvents to precipitate the fucoidan polymer from crude seaweed extracts. This methodology previously resulted in solvent residues and other contaminants being present in the final extract. Fucoidans manufactured in this way can suffer from many shortfalls—not only can their quality be inconsistent, but their chemical integrity may be compromised and their bioactivity may be affected.

Revolutionary aqueous extraction technology now exists that produces efficacious, high-purity fucoidan extracts that are certified organic. These advanced technologies do not use organic solvents, and they produce fucoidan extracts that remain unadulterated in chemical structure and that are free from solvent residues. The mild, aqueous “green chemistry” process also ensures the resulting extracts comply with the most rigorous quality standards and global regulatory requirements.

Fucoidan from two species of brown seaweeds have been extensively researched and clinically tested: 

, or bladderwrack. These two seaweeds are sustainably harvested on a seasonal basis from some of the world’s most pristine waters.

A critical determinant of fucoidan quality is the aquatic environment from which the seaweeds are derived. Seaweeds grown in clean ocean waters consistently produce superior fucoidan extracts compared to those grown in waters prone to industrial, agricultural, or human contamination. Today’s most progressive fucoidan manufacturers are committed to the sustainable hand-harvesting of wild seaweeds from pristine ocean waters in accordance with global best practices.

In this—the decade that the United Nations deemed the “Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development”—we are witnessing an increasing number of countries placing growing emphasis on seaweed farming and the subsequent development of novel marine bioproducts to support human health. An exciting example of the global focus on the burgeoning seaweed industry is occurring in Australia. Australia recently announced a $270 million national Marine Bioproducts Cooperative Research Centre (MBCRC) to accelerate its rapidly expanding marine export industry.

 (Disclosure: Marinova Pty Ltd. is one of the participants in this cooperative.) A consortium of approximately 70 dynamic partners are leading a 10-year research program that will focus on the global bioproducts market projected to be worth an astonishing $780 billion by 2035. With the world’s third-largest marine area, Australia is one country firmly focused on ocean-based research.

Key players in the marine bioproducts industry not only recognize the value of innovative research collaborations but the importance of superior and sustainable products. Quality certainly is—and will continue—driving the future of the marine ingredients market long into the future.

Amanda Mackinnon is the marketing and communications manager at 

 (Cambridge, Australia), a global leader in fucoidan science.

Therapies from fucoidan: New developments.

Marine Bioproducts Cooperative Research Centre website. 

How to ensure quality when sourcing marine ingredients

Sourcing high-quality dietary supplement ingredients from seaweed: A fucoidan case study

Botanicals may well be the sine qua non of “natural” ingredients: plant-based, often wildcrafted, and subject to the whims of Mother Nature herself. As such, securing steady supplies can be a delicate business under the best of circumstances. And as Wilson Lau, president, Nuherbs (San Leandro, CA), is all too eager to attest, these are 

“Over the last two years, we’ve seen lockdowns, shipping delays, and cost increases that have escalated continually, as well as worker shortages and myriad manufacturing challenges even as demand has skyrocketed—just to name a few,” he laments.

 the herbal industry do when fate tosses a once-in-a-century pandemic onto a massive logistical crisis—all atop a burgeoning botanical boom? It dials up the patience and keeps its eyes on the long game.

 bad for botanicals—not by a longshot. In fact, the irony underlying the supply-chain crisis is that interest in botanicals has never been higher, and for good reason.

“While the global popularity of botanicals has increased for some time,” observes Ajay Patel, founder and CEO, Verdure Sciences (Noblesville, IN), “awareness and demand since the onset of COVID-19 have spiked to levels not seen prior.”

Indeed, while sales of immune-support botanical supplements had been rising for years—with elderberry alone seeing 100%-plus growth in both 2018 and 2019, and three of the mainstream channel’s four top-selling botanicals of 2019 (elderberry, Echinacea, and turmeric) situated squarely within the immune category—“It’s clear that starting in 2020, the growth trend for immune-related botanicals continued and accelerated,” says Holly E. Johnson, PhD, chief science officer, American Herbal Products Association (AHPA; Silver Spring, MD). And she predicts that growth will continue “now that consumers have become even more aware of the power of herbs to maintain general health and vitality.”

Lau agrees, adding that interest in stress- and sleep-support formulations “won’t slow down,” either. After all, he says, “There’s so much to be stressed about.”

What vexes him most? “The uncertainty has been perhaps the biggest challenge,” he says. “It’s taken away predictability: How many days will you need to allocate for the logistics of moving an item from point A to point B—whether that’s across the country or an ocean? The old schedules just don’t apply now.”

For perishable items, such delays portend disaster. “Imagine if you shipped something in spring but didn’t receive it until midsummer,” he suggests. “Instead of two months, it takes four or five to get to you. Now imagine that it’s temperature-sensitive and you didn’t put it in a reefer—a refrigerated shipping container. You could be looking at a total loss.”

And if what you shipped is coming from China, expect a significant price hike in addition to the now-requisite delays. By Lau’s estimate, almost all Chinese-grown products have seen cost increases of anywhere from 10% or 15% to as much as 400% and even 500%, with COVID, the country’s pandemic policies, and extreme weather all to blame. As for the upcoming harvests, he suspects they’ll “bring many more surprises, as well.”

Yet as disruptive as it currently is, surprise has always been a feature of the botanical supply chain.

For one, Patel points out, the ingredients “are typically sourced from remote locations, and the logistics of getting them to collection houses, manufacturers, and ports is a huge challenge.”

Take bilberry extracts, for example, which “generally require multiple shipping steps to get from their Northern European harvest to China for extraction and then to the U.S.,” explains Cal Bewicke, president, Ethical Naturals Inc. (San Anselmo, CA). “Each step in this chain can get delayed.”

And even when the logistics run smoothly, Bewicke continues, botanicals remain vulnerable to threat because…well, because they’re vulnerable ingredients that “depend upon natural growth cycles as well as human involvement for their production,” he says.

Case in point, their planting schedules need advance mapping one to two years ahead of market requirements—perhaps longer for some root crops, Bewicke says—making it hard to respond rapidly to sudden demand spikes. And as for wildcrafted product, it’s subject to its own harvest variation, he adds, which will only increase with climate change.

Speaking of which, Patel notes that Verdure’s unique view onto India’s botanical market indicates that supplies remain straitened by “the unpredictable nature of climate change.”

This is especially so given that the country’s monsoons—which typically last from June to September—continued well into November and December of 2021. With turmeric, ashwagandha, holy basil, bacopa, and ginger harvests all normally occurring 

 the monsoons—from November to March, Patel says—quality in the upcoming crop may suffer. “Some reports we’ve received are anticipating as much as 20% damage of crops,” he says, “especially among botanicals whose roots are harvested for medicinal use.”

None of this is lost on Lau, who ranks global warming the “top issue facing the dietary supplement industry long term.” With botanicals comprising an increasingly weighty portion of popular formulations, “the extreme weather patterns of global warming will impact yield, availability, and quality,” he predicts. “We’ll be facing this for the rest of our careers.”

One of Nuherbs’ proposed solutions is to “build resiliency into our operations to anticipate and mitigate developing vulnerabilities.” The company has already installed solar power systems to address operational vulnerability and permit the quick addition of battery storage “when pricing allows it or need necessitates it,” he says. “During energy-grid disruptions, we’ll be able to maintain daily operations.”

In the more immediate term, the industry continues to contend with COVID-19’s fallout, including the transportation congestion and concomitant cost increase that have been “the most significant challenges,” as far as Greg Ris, vice president, sales, Indena USA Inc., is concerned. “Everything’s become more difficult and more expensive while also exposing infrastructure issues that had to be addressed.”

Patel agrees, adding that steep freight and logistics costs, rising fuel and labor rates, and high prices for botanical feedstocks are squeezing everyone along the supply chain, as well as with their bottom lines.

And Bewicke warns industry participants not to forget about packaging. “Almost all of these products come bottled in capsules,” he points out, “and supplies of these essentials have also seen a heavy impact, with delivery delays now running up to four months and more.” Customers tell him that staffing snafus—“from filling open positions to managing COVID absences”—have also slowed manufacturing. “So if obtaining quality botanicals is one step, getting them to market is one more challenge to add to that.”

Patel doesn’t expect delays to ease much this year, with lead times as long as 12 to 16 weeks likely to continue for at least the foreseeable future, he says.

In the meantime, he claims that Verdure has redoubled its dedication to maintaining multiple sources for feedstock botanicals to sell suppliers and manufacturers, as well as backup sources for customers. The company also increased its “sourcing footprint” by adding more acreage at the grower level and more manufacturing capacity with partner facilities. And of course, Patel says, “We’ve beefed up inventory levels of both raw materials and finished extracts to meet growing demand.”

For its part, Ethical Naturals “now works even further ahead” with both manufacturers and customers to keep storerooms filled, says Bewicke, who adds that the company’s inventories of key botanicals “are now substantially higher than when things were ‘normal.’”

And for brands who’d consider “shopping the open market” for ingredient substitutes, he has this to say: “That’s always risky with botanicals, and especially so now. So many shipments come into contract warehouses where no realistic U.S. testing is available. We don’t do that.” So when brands do need to shop around, he advises them to choose suppliers “with certified GMPs and a willingness to provide U.S. testing data from their own or independent labs.”

Johnson notes says that brands and suppliers alike are coming up with other “creative ways” to mitigate the challenges, including shifting from sea routes to air freight, expanding long-term storage and processing capabilities closer to home, and even “building relationships with U.S. farmers capable of growing botanical species typically sourced internationally.”

And in the end, those relationships are what it’s all about. As Johnson puts it, “Brands that have prioritized longstanding, trusted partnerships with farmers and suppliers are in the best position to ensure they have the safe, high-quality ingredients they need for manufacturing and production 

Ris agrees, noting that “opening up the conversation both with suppliers and customers has allowed us to manage disruptions effectively, and we’re confident our network will be even stronger as a result.”

And it had better be. With uncertainty all that’s certain, Lau says, “I think the best current workaround is planning early and communicating your needs to your partners, while providing ample time for materials to get to you.”

What does the herbal industry do when fate tosses a once-in-a-century pandemic onto a massive logistical crisis—all atop a burgeoning botanical boom? It dials up the patience and keeps its eyes on the long game.

From field to frustration: How botanicals are weathering the great supply-chain cataclysm of 2022

What’s one sure sign that a vitamin’s hit the big leagues? When a member of the U.S. House of Representatives introduces a resolution recognizing it, for starters.

And that’s just what Representative Glenn Grothman (R-WI) did last February when he brought to the chamber floor House Resolution 116, both acknowledging vitamin D’s potential to prevent complications from COVID-19 and imploring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and FDA to issue new guidance encouraging its consumption during these vulnerable times.

In so doing, Representative Grothman took an unambiguous stand on the micronutrient that its proponents were quick to applaud. But the resolution didn’t so much spark discussion about vitamin D as amplify one already in progress in which the supplement industry, the healthcare community, and consumers alike have finally been giving D its due.

More than 100 published studies—including at least 14 meta-analyses—have explored vitamin D’s relationship to COVID-19 outcomes, says Luke G. Huber, ND, MBA, vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs, Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN; Washington, DC).

 have even identified 12 meta-analyses looking specifically at how vitamin D status influences the illness’s course, and among the lessons they’ve extracted is that blood levels of the vitamin are “significantly associated with either higher incidence, severity, or mortality from COVID-19,” Huber says.

Christiane Lippert, global product manager, vitamins and delivery systems, Lycored (Branchburg, NJ), is familiar with those findings, and notes that respiratory repercussions, in particular, can plague patients with low vitamin D status, with one meta-analysis

 showing that such patients “presented an increased risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome, requiring admission to intensive care,” she adds.

As for research into how active vitamin D intervention affects COVID-19 outcomes, one meta-analysis

 not only demonstrated an inverse correlation between blood levels and mortality risk, but indicated that a mortality rate approaching zero could “theoretically” be achieved by raising serum vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) levels above 50 ng/ml.

And while the world awaits the sort of large, randomized, controlled intervention trials that could determine causality definitively, one early intervention trial

 involving 40 patients with mild COVID-19 showed that those receiving 60,000 IU of vitamin D per day for seven days were three times more likely to test negative for SARS-CoV2 by day 21 than were those receiving a placebo.

The mounting evidence might trigger in vitamin D advocates a twinge of vindication at seeing their pet nutrient finally receive the attention it deserves; yet at the same time, they point out that vitamin D’s benefits were worth celebrating well before any link to COVID-19 emerged.

As Huber explains, “Vitamin D was first known for bone development and maintenance, as it plays a key role in the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus, two important minerals for bone integrity. But vitamin D has many other important functions, including its participation in immune maintenance, oral health, muscle health and strength, regulation of gene transcription, and protein-synthesis promotion. And results from the VITAL clinical trial

 published last month demonstrate a decreased incidence of autoimmune diseases in older adults taking vitamin D supplements.”

That trial is a large-scale, ongoing project involving 25,871 subjects that aims to understand how vitamin D3 and omega-3 supplementation influence risk for cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Lippert—who’s also been following its progress—finds the recent autoimmune results noteworthy in light of “the lack of other effective strategies for reducing the incidence of autoimmune disease,” she says.

Vitamin D status has also been linked to heart disease, cancer, insulin resistance, inflammation, neurological disorders, and adverse outcomes in pregnancy

 involving women with female-pattern hair loss even found that a combination of the vitamin and topical minoxidil produced greater hair growth than either treatment alone, she adds.

“One interesting discovery,” Lippert continues, “is how vitamin D provides benefits in so many areas, especially when it’s paired synergistically with other ingredients.”

And indeed, vitamin D’s standout partner is vitamin K2, which works with D to funnel calcium toward the tissues that need it—teeth and bones, for instance—and away from those that don’t, such as the blood vessels.

More specifically, “Vitamin D upregulates vitamin K–dependent proteins,” explains James DiNicolantonio, PharmD, director of scientific affairs, AIDP (City of Industry, CA), “and vitamin K allows those proteins to work to inhibit arterial calcification while also improving bone health.”

Dominik Mattern, vice president, marketing, at Kappa Bioscience Group (Oslo, Norway), notes that his company has been working with “a global network” of researchers and vitamin K2 experts to explore the “synergy” between the two nutrients, adding that while each one is quite different from the other biochemically, “their activities occur on a continuum from a functional perspective, and they’re synergistic and unified.”

Mattern even quotes one of Kappa’s K2 experts, naturopathic doctor Andrew Myers, as putting it like this: “Vitamin K2 makes D3 products better, safer, and more effective from a supplementation perspective.”

While Myers’s summation “condenses the science a lot,” Mattern concedes, “it still clarifies that we’ll see more combination products pairing vitamin K2 and D3 in the future.”

Such products can’t arrive too soon, as anything that can deliver more vitamin D to consumers—whether paired with vitamin K or not—is sorely needed. The reason, Huber says: “Many Americans still aren’t getting enough.”

Not only do the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans identify vitamin D as a “nutrient of public-health concern”; the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey estimated Americans’ rate of vitamin-D deficiency (defined as a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level less than 20 ng/ml or 50 nmol/L) at 28.9%, and its rate of vitamin-D insufficiency (a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level of 20 to 30 ng/ml or 50 to 75 nmol/L) at 41%.

Culpability lies with a number of factors endemic to contemporary life, the first of which is the typical developed Western diet, which—fortified foods notwithstanding—deemphasizes key vitamin D sources like organ meats, egg yolks, dried mushrooms, fatty fish, and cod-liver oil. In addition, obesity and fat-malabsorption conditions—think celiac disease—can also cause people to come up short, Huber says.

But perhaps the highest-profile impediment to getting enough vitamin D is our indoor lifestyles. “It’s sun exposure that produces most of our vitamin D,” explains Kelly Patterson, clinical nutrition educator, OmegaQuant (Sioux Falls, SD), “and many of us don’t get enough sun exposure at the right times of day throughout the year, and especially during the winter, when vitamin D levels have a tendency to dip.” Her conclusion: “It’s important to get levels checked and supplement accordingly when deficient.”

Consumers appear to be hearing the message, and that—along with their pandemic-inspired turn toward health—is putting wind into vitamin D sales. SPINS (Chicago) calculates the vitamin’s year-on-year growth at 62%, making it one of the fastest-growing VMS subcategories in the immunity space

Adds Kendall Ridley, senior director of communications at CRN, “We saw 37% of supplement users taking vitamin D in 2020, and a year further into this pandemic our 2021 consumer survey

 reveals that 60% of supplement users who choose to supplement for immune health turn to vitamin D for that support. We think increased education about vitamin D’s benefits supporting immune health could certainly provide incentives to continue its use.”

As can novel delivery platforms. “Gummies are flying off shelves,” Lippert notes, and she claims that Lycored’s CapsuDar line of microencapsulated vitamins “can withstand the harsh pH and temperatures involved in gummy production, which formulators tell us many other vitamins can’t.”

The technology uses “precision microencapsulation” to build layers around the vitamin to protect it against ingredient interactions, she explains, and the company’s internal stability studies show that its CapsuDar D2 100 E product, in particular, displays almost twice the stability of a comparison product.

Studies also showed no loss of the vitamin active at production, compared to 13% losses in the competitive product. “And in an accelerated test replicating a two-year shelf life,” Lippert says, “the other product showed nearly 65% degradation of the vitamin, whereas ours showed only 30%.” Finally, required overages in CapsuDar topped out at 54% compared to 233% in the competitor—“a massive difference,” she says.

As a vitamin D2 vehicle, CapsuDar is vegan—which makes sense, given that vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) is largely plant-derived. But the main source for supplemental vitamin D3 remains sheep’s-wool lanolin, which, obviously, isn’t.

To provide vegans and vegetarians an acceptable vitamin D3 option, AIDP developed VegD3. Sourced from a sustainable algae with a fully traceable supply chain, the product “offers superior purity and quality to lanolin D3,” DiNicolantonio claims, and is pesticide-, protein-, and heavy-metal-compliant. It even sports Vegan Society approval, he adds.

From a formulation standpoint, it plays well in most food, beverage, and supplement applications thanks to what DiNicolantonio describes as its “excellent organoleptic properties” and high stability—possibly explaining why AIDP saw VegD3’s 2021 growth outpace that of the company’s traditional lanolin vitamin D3, nearly doubling its sales of 2020.

There’s a good chance that the spotlight on D shone by COVID-19 helped, too. And “while some of that impact may subside,” Lippert says, “the facts about vitamin D’s efficacy and synergistic impact on wellbeing are now out there, and demand will endure long into the future.”

Vitamin D status and SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 clinical outcomes

COVID-19 mortality risk correlates inversely with vitamin D3 status, and a mortality rate close to zero could theoretically be achieved at 50 ng/mL 25(OH)D3: Results of a systematic review and meta-analysis

, vol. 13, no. 10 (October 14, 2021): 3596

Short term, high-dose vitamin D supplementation for COVID-19 disease: A randomised, placebo-controlled, study (SHADE study)

Vitamin D and marine omega-3 fatty acid supplementation and incident autoimmune disease: VITAL randomized controlled trial

Official recommendations for vitamin D through the life stages in developed countries

, vol. 74, no. 11 (November 2020): 1514–1518

Treatment with oral vitamin D alone, topical minoxidil, or combination of both in patients with female pattern hair loss: A comparative clinical and dermoscopic study

. Published online ahead of print January 10, 2022.

Unlock 2022’s Biggest Health & Wellness Shopper Trends with Product Intelligence

Council for Responsible Nutrition. “Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements.” 2021.

Vegan options, innovative delivery systems, and ingredient pairings will keep consumers coming back to vitamin D long after the pandemic has passed.

Vitamin D gets its due: How COVID-19 is focusing attention on vitamin D—and how brands can keep it there

Brain health is among the health concerns in which consumers can immediately recognize deficiencies. We can feel stress, lack of focus, lethargy, and the occasional lapse in memory. For the proactive consumer, dietary supplements offer a potential way to manage one’s cognitive health, and many are turning to them. According to market researcher SPINS (Chicago), in the 52 weeks ending October 31, 2021, sales of cognitive health ingredients in the mainstream supplements market grew 59%. This came on top of 69% sales growth the previous year.

There are many paths to cognitive support, and creating a product that’s just right for your target customer can be daunting. The good news is there is no shortage of innovative ingredients that can help you meet the overwhelming demand for brain health products.

Proper nutrition, like with all our body’s organ systems, is key to proper cognitive function, particularly during our early development. This is why omega-3 DHA and EPA fatty acids are important for both pregnant women and infants, finding their way into prenatal dietary supplements and baby formulas. A meta-analysis

 conducted by Cochrane in 2018, for example, found that supplementation with omega-3 supplements helped reduce preterm birth (<37 weeks of gestation) and very preterm birth (<34 weeks of gestation) by 11% and 47%, respectively.

 found that children between two and six years of age with high omega-3 index levels were three to four times more likely to pass one or more dimensional change card sort tasks, compared to children with low omega-3 index levels. These tasks are used to measure executive function and require attention and flexibility from subjects. Of course, more research is necessary to truly understand how omega-3 levels in the body influence cognitive function in children as they grow up.

“We know that kids with ADHD have lower omega-3 levels, but it’s still not clear whether that’s a consequence of the quirky dietary patterns of these kids or if it’s contributing to the cause of ADHD,” says William S. Harris, PhD, FASN, president of the Fatty Acid Research Institute and founder of OmegaQuant Analytics. “Of course, there is considerable evidence that higher omega-3 levels in later years—and probably in midlife, if we had the data to look at—is a strong predicter of better cognitive health into the sunset years.”

How omega-3 levels at an early age set the stage for later cognitive performance or decline is a more difficult question to answer. “To address that question, you would need blood omega-3 levels in (ideally) children and 

 see who develops dementia by age 75,” says Harris. “Imagine how long 

 study would take to run! It’s reasonable from what we know today that keeping omega-3 levels high throughout life will have long-term health and mental benefits.”

Indeed, the goal to maintain healthy omega-3 levels should not end early in life. This category of ingredients has the potential to benefit all life stages. Pregnant women want their children to develop properly in the womb and therefore take omega-3 themselves. This supplementation then shifts to children. Ideally, supplementation continues into adulthood. The advantage of omega-3s is that they support multiple health concerns, including cardiovascular health and joint health. Cognitive health can be another motivating factor to encourage omega-3 supplementation.

Another way to motivate consumers to take ongoing, long-term action on cognitive support is through personalized nutrition and at-home testing which allows consumers to actively monitor their own health from home. OmegaQuant, for example, offers Omega-3 Index test kits, including prenatal DHA tests and Mother’s Milk DHA tests, as well as vitamin B12 tests. Poor levels of vitamin B12 have been associated with increased risk of dementia, and vitamin B12 is important for proper cardiovascular and nerve function.

Being able to track one’s progress is empowering and can be a valuable resource for dietary supplement brands. One brand, d.velop, offers vitamin D test kits alongside vitamin D supplements, allowing customers to get a before-and-after picture of their nutritional status. Strategies like this help reinforce the importance of staying dedicated to proper nutrition, even if physiologic benefits are not felt right away.

The growth potential for ingredients like omega-3s DHA and EPA is promising. Data from SPINS show that the sale of fish oil concentrates grew 106% in the cognitive health category of the mainstream multioutlet channel in 2021, compared to the previous year.

Another ingredient that may support cognitive health long term is the phospholipid phosphatidylserine. According to SPINS, in 2021 sales of phosphatidylserine ingredients grew 90% in the cognitive health category of the mainstream multioutlet channel, over the previous year.

Research has shown that phosphatidylserine plays an important role in the human brain. It is required for healthy nerve cell membranes and myelin, and has been associated with the formation of short-term memory, consolidation of long-term memory, the ability to retrieve memories, the ability to learn and recall information, the ability to focus attention and concentrate, the ability to reason and solve problems, language skills, as well as the ability to communicate.

And, while long-term cognitive health remains important to consumers, more immediate concerns for energy, focus, and stress management may offer more tangible benefits in the short term, making products concentrated on these features incredibly attractive to consumers.

Gasoline may fuel our cars, but coffee fuels our bodies. We rely on coffee and other caffeinated beverages to dissipate that morning fog and get our day started. Unfortunately, caffeine has its limits and may produce diminishing returns throughout the day. Contending with the infamous “crash” is changing the way people think about energy. Just because you’re not falling asleep at your desk doesn’t mean you have energy. In fact, energy is increasingly being tied to focus.

“Your brain needs energy to focus. Low energy equals low focus. The problem with typical stimulants like caffeine is that they can cause jitteriness and ‘scatter brain,’” says Roy Krebs, founder and CEO of Natural Stacks, a dietary supplement brand focused largely on brain health formulas.

“I think we’ve all found that frenetic energy derived from consuming a lot of caffeine may help at times but is often distracting and fragmenting to a productive thought process,” offers Cal Bewicke, CEO of Ethical Naturals Inc. (Novato, CA), which manufactures AlphaWave L-theanine.

Dietary supplements offer a solution to either complement the energy we get from caffeinated beverages or provide an alternative approach to keeping our minds sharp. L-theanine is an excellent example of an ingredient that can complement our favorite caffeinated beverages and is making its way into mainstream products. For example, Mountain Dew launched a line of energy drinks marketed toward gamers that incorporates L-theanine, in addition to caffeine, ginseng extract, and yerba mate extract.

There are many paths to cognitive support, and creating a product that’s just right for your target customer can be daunting.

Nutritional Outlook Vol. 25 No. 2

Dietary supplement subscription programs start with convenience but should offer much more

Healthy Snacks: Pulse ingredients create a healthy halo

The Age of Algae: R&D advances algae’s potential for health and nutrition

Sourcing high-quality dietary supplement ingredients from seaweed: A fucoidan case study

From field to frustration: How botanicals are weathering the great supply-chain cataclysm of 2022

Vitamin D gets its due: How COVID-19 is focusing attention on vitamin D—and how brands can keep it there

Food for Thought: Approaches to formulating products in the growing cognitive health space

Should the dietary supplements industry expect the new FDA commissioner to prioritize supplement reform?

CBD and sleep: Promising but preliminary

Logistical logjam: How are international shipping issues hurting the dietary supplement industry?

Winning the plant-based gummy game: Switching from gelatin to plant-based polymers involves strategic planning