Stratum Nutrition Opens New European Location
Clinically validated ingredients supplier, Stratum Nutrition, is opening a new Northwestern Europe office in the Netherlands. Committed to serving the European market with increased efficiency, accessibility, and localized support, the new site allows Stratum to continue meeting the growing global demand for innovative and clinically researched ingredients for joint health, cognitive support, beauty-from-within, and overall wellness. Chosen for its central location, strong nutraceutical ecosystem, and secure connectivity to key markets, the Netherland’s site also represents the brand’s deep commitment to its European partnerships.
“Expanding into Europe marks an important milestone in Stratum Nutrition’s growth journey,” said Arun Nair, Stratum Nutrition’s Chief Commercial Officer. “Our goal has always been to deliver trusted, high-quality ingredients supported by strong science. This new location allows us to better serve our partners in Europe and nearby regions, making our portfolio more accessible to those seeking effective solutions in the nutraceutical space for both human and pet applications.”
Danone Withdraws Proposal to Acquire Lifeway
Danone will no longer be moving forward with its acquisition of U.S. kefir and fermented probiotic products supplier, Lifeway. Talks of the acquisition first began back in September 2024, with Danone making an initial offer of $25 a share before upping the offer to $27 two months later. Lifeway rejected both offers expressing that Danone had undervalued the company.
Danone’s current yogurt portfolio includes Activia, Too Good yogurts, and Oikos. According to Barron’s, the decision to step away from the acquisition was based on the two companies not being able to work together effectively. Lifeway issued a statement regarding the recent development, “We remain firmly committed to driving value for Lifeway shareholders by executing our strategic plan and continuing to explore value enhancing opportunities.”
Purity-IQ Receives ISO/IEC 17025 Accreditation
The Purity-IQ laboratory has been accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB). The Ontario-based biotechnology company specializes in authenticity testing for food, beverage, and dietary supplements and has quickly become a trusted partner for companies looking to navigate the challenges of economically motivated adulteration. The scope of the company’s new accreditation includes:
- Strain-level identity testing of probiotics via qPCR
- The use of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for identity verification of botanicals, fungi/mushrooms, and dietary supplements
- The quantification of maltodextrin concentration in dietary supplements, an area of increasing industry attention.
“ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation is an important step in our evolution,” said Deleo de Leonardis, CEO & Co-Founder. “It reflects our ongoing commitment to transparency, quality, and continuous improvement, while reinforcing our mission to provide science-based assurance in an increasingly complex supply chain.”
Balchem Launches K2VITAL at FC Bayern Women’s Team Opener
Balchem has launched its first ever direct-to-consumer project with the help of the FC Bayern (FCB) Women’s football team. During the team’s season opener game, Balchem promoted its K2VITAL to FCB fans with an exhibition stand at the Allianz arena in Munich. As part of the game’s pre-match commemorations, attendees were able to visit the Balchem booth to learn more about the health benefits of K2 while being able to play a game of cornhole for a chance to win FCB Women co-branded merchandise.
“When we initiated the partnership with FC Bayern Women, our goal was to educate consumers about vitamin K2 and reinforce the high-quality standards embodied in our K2VITAL. The team proved to be the perfect partner – acting as outstanding ambassadors of health with over a billion fans worldwide,” said Dominik Mattern, VP Science, Business Development and Marketing, Balchem Human Nutrition and Health. “Now, we’re taking the next step by hosting our first-ever direct-to-consumer event and harnessing the value of our branded ingredients to drive differentiation. We are so glad to be able to integrate in this first experience a collaboration with our partner Natsana, creating a mutual opportunity for growth.”
Herbalist & Alchemist Publish Annual Sustainability Report
Certified B Corp herbal products company, Herbalist & Alchemist, has released its annual Sustainability Report detailing the company’s sustainability achievements reached in 2024. Highlights from this year’s edition include:
- The company achieved 4% landfill waste and 96% diverted, reused, donated, or composted waste
- Recycled 11,079 lbs. of material
- Upcycled 1,555 lbs. of material
- Generated 6,242 lbs. of compost
- All garbage paper towels were turned into compost by a specialty service
The company’s eco-friendly milestones are a testament to the organization’s Green Team, which continuously works on finding ways to divert materials that are usually landfilled. “When we initially worked for B Corp certification in 2010, the process created a benchmark that we use to continually ask ourselves what more we can do, a process that continues” said H&A CEO Beth Lambert. “After establishing our Green Team, with members from each department working together to find more ways to be sustainable, we’ve achieved far more than we thought possible 15 years ago.”
AHPA Forms Tech & AI Innovation Committee
The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has created a new tool to help its members explore the opportunities, handle challenges, and apply best practices of artificial intelligence (AI) and related tech. Chaired by Asa Waldstein, Founder & Principal of Apex Compliance, the new Technology & AI Innovation Committee will look to provide guidance for the safe use of AI. “There is no better person to chair this new committee than longtime AHPA member Asa Waldstein: a technologist who understands herbs and plants and is deeply knowledgeable about AI,” shared AHPA President & CEO Graham Rigby.
The committee’s inaugural meeting will take place during SupplySide Global on Wednesday, October 29 at 11am PT. For more on this year’s SSG event, take a look at our preview guide.
Nordic Naturals Hosts Rio Del Mar Beach Cleanup Event
On September 20th, Nordic Naturals joined the California Coastal Cleanup Day festivities at Rio Del Mar Beach. Participants enjoyed from beachside yoga sessions, latte art, photo booth, local food trucks, and a statewide “Trashure Hunt” with prizes like entertainment tickets, gift cards, and hotel stays. Nordic Naturals, in partnership with the California Coastal Commission and Save Our Shores, organized the Rio Del Mar Beach cleanup event which included a free oceanfront yoga class and a closing celebration for volunteers which featured local food trucks offerings.
“We’re excited to roll up our sleeves alongside our neighbors to help keep our local beaches clean and healthy,” said Harmony Merloni, ACN, Experiential Marketing Manager at Nordic Naturals. “As a trusted wellness company and the #1 selling omega 3 brand in the U.S., the health of the ocean and healthy people are at the core of what we do. This beach cleanup event is a welcome chance to bring people of all ages together to help clean up the coast and have some fun in the process – with yoga, music, great food, and a shared sense of community. It turns out, picking up trash is actually pretty fun, and seeing our combined efforts come together at the end of the cleanup day is really rewarding.”
TraceGains Reaches 100,000 Milestone
Compliance, quality, and innovation solutions provider, TraceGains, has announced that its TraceGains Gather program has reached 100,000 supplier locations worldwide. The supplier management platform utilizes AI and the brand’s patented PostOnce technology to allow suppliers to upload documents and instantly share them with multiple customers. The program now hosts more than 10 million live documents, including allergen declarations, certificates of analysis, nutrition fact panels, kosher certifications, and third-party audits.
“This achievement demonstrates the strength of the TraceGains community, and validates our vision of a connected, collaborative supply chain,” said Gary Iles, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Business Development, TraceGains. “Every new supplier location means one less data silo, and one more opportunity for faster onboarding, cleaner documentation, and real-time insights. By centralizing and streamlining supplier management, we’re helping brands and their partners unlock agility, efficiency, and trust at scale.”
