Across the Nutra-verse: Baze targets European expansion, Congress urged to pass CBD legislation, and more
Europe
Baze readies for 2020 European debut
Baze, which launched its DIY blood testing service to determine nutrient levels and deliver customized supplement packages in the US in 2018, is coming to Europe.
“We are planning to launch in early 2020 in Europe,” Philipp Schulte, Baze CEO and co-founder, told NutraIngredients-Europe. “We are in discussions with European supplement makers and there is a great level of interest.”
The firm recently received $6m via a Series A fundraising round led by US supplements giant, Nature’s Way.
Despite its European origins and base, Baze launched in the US first via its Boston office because it reckoned the personalized nutrition market was more advanced there, but Schulte observed Europe was moving ahead, especially with the likes of Nestlé investing heavily in the sector.
“Europe has been a few years behind but it is catching up fast and we are very excited about launching here.”
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USA
Trade associations urge Congress to clarify hemp-derived CBD is a lawful dietary ingredient
Four of the main trade associations for dietary supplements sent letters to every member of Congress urging them to pass legislation to clarify that CBD derived from the hemp plant is a lawful dietary ingredient.
In a letter dated October 8, 2019 and sent to the office of each member of the House and Senate, the chiefs of the American Herbal Products Association, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, the Council for Responsible Nutrition, and the United Natural Products Alliance called for “quick action to clarify the legal status of hemp-derived CBD dietary supplements”.
“We urge you to pass legislation to clarify that CBD derived from the hemp plant is a lawful dietary ingredient if the dietary supplement containing the CBD meets established product safety and quality criteria,” they added.
“In July 2019 testimony before the Senate Agriculture Committee, the agency stated that it could take three to five years for even an expedited rule-making process to establish a legal regulatory pathway for use of CBD in dietary supplements and conventional foods,” stated the AHPA, CHPA, CRN, UNPA letter.
“Given the rapidly growing marketplace of products […] it is crucial that Congress take quick action to clarify the legal status of hemp-derived CBD dietary supplements.
Sales of CBD supplements continue to sky-rocket. According to the 2018 HerbalGram Herb Market Report by the American Botanical Council, CBD dietary supplements are the number one selling herbal supplement in the natural channel, growing 332% year-on-year to hit $52 million.
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Asia
Bayer opens first Chinese R&D center to tap growing sports nutrition and personalization trends
Bayer Consumer Health said the increasing awareness of self-care, rising living standards, ageing population, and healthier lifestyles of Chinese consumers had created a large opportunity for China’s health food market.
The company’s first APAC R&D Center is located in Qidong, Jiangsu Province in China and will focus on formulation and analytical development to produce new health foods to help consumers achieve better care in their daily health.
Wei Li, head of Bayer Consumer Health China Development Centre told NutraIngredients-Asia the center would house professionals from different scientific disciplines, such as pharmaceutical chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering, pharmaceutical engineering, etc to innovate health foods and accelerate new product launches.
“The Chinese consumer is evolving in a fast pace. China merits its own dedicated R&D facilities as we could be able to access local knowledge in terms of the consumer, the retail environment and to support local brands as well as introduce our global power brands to China,” added Sharon James, head of research & development at Bayer Consumer Health.
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