Aug. 30 - Embria Health Sciences has is teaming up with Alliance Principle Ingredients for the exclusive distribution of its ingredients in Canada, meaning the company has now secured its distribution partners for all of North America.
The Iowa-based company manufactures research-based natural ingredients for the international nutrition market. Among the Embria ingredients Alliance will supply are EpiCor high-metabolite immunogen and exselen selenium. In April, Embria announced a US distribution agreement with B&D Nutritional Ingredients for both EpiCor and exselen ingredients.
Working a local distributor is especially advantageous when working north of the border as the regulatory framework for dietary supplements differs greatly in Canada from the US.
“The companies will move forward with Master Ingredient File registration for Embria Health Sciences products to support manufacturer products along with NHP (Natural Health Products) regulations,” said Greg Thornton, director of sales for Embria Health Sciences.
Unlike the post-market approval system for dietary supplements in the US, in Canada such products are regulated in a pre-market system that more closely resembles the US’ regulatory framework for over-the-counter drugs.
The Natural Health Products Directorate (NHPD), a division of Health Canada, oversees the issuance of licenses to natural health products. It assesses products for safety, effectiveness and quality, and subsequently issues an eight-digit natural product number for labelling purposes.
For the US, Embria and B&D signed a deal ensuring B&D will be the exclusive US distributor for Epicor and the primary US distributor for eXselen.
According to Embrai, exselen is a highly-bioavailable organic selenium yeast ingredient that produces high levels of selenomethionine, an organic form of the mineral that rapidly metabolizes within the body.
EpiCor is an all-natural high-metabolite immunogen shown to have the antioxidant (ORAC) potency three times that of any known fruit, as well as to cause a four-fold increase in the activity of the ‘natural killer’ cells that guard the immune system.
EpiCor and Embria, as the company bringing it to market, were born out of suspicions that the culture could have other uses following farmers’ reports that their animals were not getting sick.
Moreover, in 2004 insurance adjusters noticed that Diamond V, Embria’s parent company, employees had far lower sick rates than other workplaces. The company thought the culture could be boosting the immune systems of workers who handled it.
About Embria Health Sciences:
Embria Health Sciences, www.embriahealth.com, combines science and nature to bring high-quality, research-based natural ingredients to the global human nutrition market. Embria’s key products are manufactured using a proprietary technology, which produces vital metabolites that deliver nutritional benefits and support increased bioavailability. A recipient of a 2006 Nutrition Business Journal Business Achievement Award, Embria recently launched its all-natural high-metabolite immunogen ingredient, EpiCor®, and holds Nutrition Business Journal’s 2005 product merit award for its selenium ingredient, eXselen®.
About B&D Nutritional Ingredients, Inc.
Founded in 1993 and based in Vista, California, B&D Nutritional Ingredients, Inc., is a national leader in sales and marketing of premier raw materials essential to the dietary supplement and personal care industries. B&D has a portfolio of products from leading manufacturers. These products are primarily natural antioxidants. B&D is active in several industry organizations representing the dietary supplement and personal care industries. Memberships include The Council for Responsible Nutrition, The Drug, Chemical and Allied Trades Assn. Inc. and the Pacific Technology Exchange.