More Than 50 Companies Already in CRN’s Supplement OWL Database

Logo from Council for Responsible Nutrition and photo from iStockphoto.com/LdF, Edited by Quinn Williams

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN; Washington, DC) has announced that more than 50 companies have already begun submitting finished-product supplement label information to its Supplement Online Wellness Library (OWL). CRN says it applauds the many “early adopters” that have begun populating the database since first being invited to participate last November, and also shares plans for an outreach campaign to bring even more manufacturers and marketers onboard.

The Supplement OWL is intended to be an industry-wide, finished-product registry for dietary supplements. Under CRN’s direction, Underwriters Laboratories (UL; Northbrook, IL) developed the database, and UL will continue to develop and administer the OWL going forward. CRN plans to have the database go live to the public in April, at which point CRN anticipates it will include tens of thousands of finished product labels.

“The Supplement OWL is an important self-regulatory initiative that starts with a simple premise: regulators need to know what ingredients and products are in the dietary supplement marketplace and who sells them,” says Steve Mister, CEO and president of CRN, in a press release. “Because our members recognized the necessity for this initiative, CRN has invested in an advertising campaign to broaden our reach beyond our member companies.”

Those outreach efforts include CRN partnering with marketing agency BrandHive to purchase media spots for the advertising campaign. CRN has a “robust” six-month advertising campaign ready for the OWL, with digital and print ads planned to appear in industry trade publications carrying its “Year of the OWL” messaging, which encourages companies that “it is wise to submit” labels to the registry. Judy Blatman, senior vice president of communications for CRN, says CRN has already been impressed by the level of support the trade press has shown in generating interest in the Supplement OWL.

Mister emphasizes that companies will be able to demonstrate to regulators their commitment to transparency by participating in the database. “Having your products and their labels in the Supplement OWL shows registry users that you want your products to be viewed as part of the mainstream supplement marketplace and are willing to provide them for scrutiny,” Mister says.

To learn more about the Supplement OWL, and to find information about how to submit product labels, visit www.supplementowl.org.

New Board Chair

CRN also announced this week that Jim Hyde, vice president and general manager at Balchem Human Nutrition and Pharma (New Hampton, NY), has been elected chair of the association’s board of directors. Hyde will succeed Harvey Kamil, vice chairman of The Nature’s Bounty Company, who will continue to serve on the CRN board as immediate past chair.

Hyde brings with him 20 years of experience in the dietary supplement industry, including his tenure as CEO of Albion Laboratories for 16 years (Albion was acquired by Balchem Corporation in February of 2016). He also served on CRN’s executive committee for the past five years. Hyde will be chair through 2018.

A full roster of the CRN’s 2017 board of directors can be found here.

Read more:

CRN Offers First Glimpse of Supplement Online Wellness Library (OWL)

Nutritional Outlook's 2016 Best of the Industry, Industry Leader: Council for Responsible Nutrition

NPA and Leading Supplement Retailers Unveil New Initiative to Promote Supplement Safety and Consumer Confidence

Michael Crane
Associate Editor
Nutritional Outlook Magazine
michael.crane@ubm.com