The end of the year is the ideal time to reflect, and reacquaint ourselves with the many articles that consumed our days in 2024. Each member of the NutraIngredients-USA editorial team picked their favorite articles of the year. We hope you enjoyed reading them as much as we enjoyed writing them!
Asia Sherman, Deputy Editor, selected:
A look back at the Proxmire Amendments and A look back at the OTC botanical drug route
“In an industry of products that often seems to move full speed ahead, these ‘look back’ articles provide an opportunity to learn about and appreciate how things came to be,” said Asia. “The first piece explored the makings of the Proxmire Amendments and the profound impact they had on the preservation and propulsion of the dietary supplement industry.
“The second considered the concerted efforts to establish an over-the-counter botanical drug route for botanicals prior to the enactment of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, an article that should probably have a part two. Most memorable from the process on both of these were the people involved, and I am looking forward to working on more in this series to revive some of the many stories that contributed to creating this industry,” she added.
Trace expands capacity to remineralize the world
Asia explained that her reporting for this article started with an initial light-bulb demonstration of the power of trace minerals at the SupplySide West trade show in October 2023 and culminated in a visit of the Trace facilities in Utah in June 2024.
“Earlier in the year, The New York Times had published a piece that painted a haunting picture of a giant toxic dust bowl should the Great Salt Lake dry up,” she said. “This piqued interest in covering Trace, a 50-year-old mineral supplement company that extracts its brine from the lake and educates about the need to remineralize a world afflicted by a broken food system.
“Overall, the experience gave me a valuable in-person and in-depth view of how a good actor operates within the supplement industry and a wider world that must continually negotiate the balance between wants, needs and resources.”
Claudia Adrien, Senior Correspondent, selected:
In an uncertain market, can advances in personalized nutrition democratize health, wellness?
“To the surprise of many, personalized nutrition company Care/of closed operations earlier this year as parent company Bayer said ceasing investment in the company would allow it to support future innovations for personal health,” said Claudia.
“The shuttering of Care/of raised a litany of additional questions about the state of the personalized nutrition industry. What does personalization even mean? Are companies that offer personalized nutrition solutions appealing only to a wealthy consumer base? Also, can the processing of collective consumer data through AI minimize the need for invasive laboratory tests?
“The adoption of personalization in health, nutrition and lifestyle management has become more and more mainstream. The ultimate question is how will society embrace personalized tools to promote wellness for the most number of people.”
Dietary supplement industry considers the future of U.S.-China tariffs
Claudia said: “The dietary supplement industry substantially relies on its relationship with Chinese suppliers to provide the raw ingredients for nutraceuticals. As we reported in November, this relationship may be strained by the implementation of additional U.S. tariffs against goods from China. President-elect Donald Trump promises he will raise tariffs against China by more than what he implemented in his first presidential term.
“Some within the supplement industry argue that this America-first position will lead to better long-term financial outcomes for American companies. Other firms we spoke with said tariffs will be detrimental to consumers by raising prices on goods as well as pushing several companies out of business. Still, some within the industry make the case that U.S.-China relations call for a more nuanced economic approach rather than all-out tariffs.”
Danielle Masterson, Editor, selected:
Danielle said: “As a journalist writing about the dietary supplement industry, I often noticed many of the companies I wrote about had ties to Utah. I wasn’t sure what or how exactly, but I knew there was a rich story waiting to be told, and I wanted to be the one to tell it.
“I spent nearly a week in the Beehive State, touring multiple supplement facilities, conducting tours and interviewing some of the trailblazers who helped make the industry what it is today. In between the breathtaking mountain views and deep conversations, I found myself going down a fascinating rabbit hole of family feuds, herbs, clandestine codes, geopolitics, call centers, regulations and Mormon missionaries.
“To understand the future, look to the past”
“With the recent 30th anniversary of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA) and the passing of many of the dietary supplement champions such as Sen. Orrin Hatch, I felt it was crucial to tell this story not only because it’s remarkable, but for the younger generations of the industry.
“I think this story leaves viewers with a better understanding of Utah and its supplement pioneers, as well as a new appreciation for an industry that was well ahead of its time. The infrastructure, well-connected salesforce and collective effort certainly make for a complex ecosystem. But how all these people, herbs and circumstances found each other is nothing short of far-fetched. The entire story is truly miraculous.”
What’s Up with Pumps: Networking one pump at a time
“I will be the first to admit that waking up at 5 a.m. anywhere—let alone in Vegas—is not ideal,” said Danielle. “But I knew there was much more to ‘What’s Up with Pumps’ than what meets the eye. So I sucked it up, got ready and went to the infamous Dragon’s Lair Gym before the sun even came up. I recall being in my Uber, with the strip fading into the background, asking myself, ‘Am I crazy??’
“Crazy for a good story.
“‘What’s Up With Pumps’ combines fitness and professional networking for everyone at all fitness levels and was dubbed a ‘networkout’. In between pumps, you can find attendees passing out business cards, engaging in push-up competitions and comparing pre-workout formulas.
“The best part about this story? I learned WUWP originated at the Sports & Active Nutrition Summit! Dave Slagle told the story of how a small, spontaneous group of gym-goers with high gym expectations in San Diego went to a local gym rather than settling for the hotel gym. That workout session transformed into a networking movement that has captivated the supplement industry and led to a cross-country movement.”
Stephen Daniells, Editor-in-Chief, selected:
Retracted! Journal pulls DNA barcoding paper that sparked 2015 NYAG herb investigation
Stephen said: “The retraction of a scientific paper is rarely something to celebrate, but this one was different. For those of us who lived through the 2015 investigation into herbal supplements by the then-NY AG Eric Schneiderman, this one felt personal.
“That investigation can trace its roots to a 2013 paper by scientists at the University of Guelph that alleged widespread quality failings in herbal dietary supplements based on DNA analysis. When it was first published, there were notable expert voices who questioned the methodology and the data, with the American Botanical Council leading the way and calling for the paper’s immediate retraction.
“The authors stood by their data, and it should be stressed that four of the five authors disagreed with the journal’s eventual retraction. What is undeniable is that the paper cast a long shadow over the category, and the retraction—11 years after the paper’s publication—was a bitter-sweet moment for many.”
Thirty years in the making, NutraIngredients-USA’s DSHEA Summit marked an important milestone in the U.S. dietary supplements industry.
Supported by the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA), the DSHEA Summit brought together the architects of the law and key industry stakeholders to discuss the past, present and future of the U.S. dietary supplements industry.
Stephen said: “We assembled an amazing list of industry leaders, and it’s unlikely these folks will ever all be in the same room again. What was clear from the Summit was that DSHEA is not going anywhere, and it has provided an impressively robust and resilient framework for the industry.
“This gallery article allowed me to weave together the best photos and quotes from the event into what will be a historically important documentary of the summit.”