Bioforce USA (Ghent, NY) has announced that retailers and their staff now have access to an A Vogel Institute course on phytotherapy and human health. The course curriculum was developed by Jen Tan, MD, an herbal medicine specialist, in tandem with Bioforce AG researchers and published authors.

Although Bioforce’s international phytotherapy experts developed the course, it is not a course on Bioforce products, the company said; the knowledge gained will help retailer staffers sell all botanical products.

Students will receive a proposed timetable and a module package at the beginning of the course and are allowed a two-year window from their start date during which they complete the course.

The correspondence course features 12 modules, and takes approximately 48 hours to complete, after which a certificate is issued if the student passes. The course examines the immune, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, urinary, reproductive, nervous, musculoskeletal and endocrine systems, in addition to the special senses and skin.

The cost per student is $300. There are limited scholarships available.

For more information, contact Eileen Sheets at (800) 641-7555 x100 or esheets@bioforceUSA.com. To learn more about Bioforce, visit www.bioforceUSA.com.

More than 250 million people around the world are living with diabetes, but new research from the University of Sydney’s George Institute suggests that a few cups of tea and coffee each day could help reduce the risk.

Researchers discovered that high consumption of coffee and tea is associated with a substantially reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. Lead author, Associate Professor Rachel Huxley, said that people who consumed, on average, three to four cups of coffee daily had one-quarter lower risk of developing diabetes compared to non-coffee drinkers.

“In those individuals drinking more than three to four cups of coffee per day, the reduction in risk of developing diabetes was even greater: up to 40 percent in those drinking more than six cups per day compared with non-coffee drinkers,” she said. “Interestingly, similar reductions in risk were also observed for tea and decaffeinated beverages suggesting that any diabetes-sparing effect is not driven primarily through caffeine as previously thought.”

Researchers conducted a meta-analysis looking at the association between coffee, decaffeinated coffee and tea consumption with the risk of type 2 diabetes. Data from 18 previously completed research studies were analyzed, providing a patient pool of 457,922 individuals. Results were consistent irrespective of variations in preparation, such as filtered versus unfiltered, cup size, cup strength and the addition of milk or sugar.

“Although it is too early to advocate for increased consumption of these beverages, identifying the active components of these beverages would potentially open up new therapeutic pathways for the primary prevention of diabetes,” Huxley added, also noting that further studies are warranted to investigate these putative protective effects.

Santa Cruz Organic (Chico, CA) will kick off the New Year with a refreshed logo, updated packaging and new products on the horizon. The rebrand will be introduced gradually through the first quarter of 2010 and will affect all products. Santa Cruz Organic is also extending its existing product lines of soda, chocolate syrup and fruit sauce with new flavors.

The rebrand represents improvements in the visual presentation of Santa Cruz Organic’s packaging including an updated logo; the addition of appetizing, realistic fruit visuals; clear displays of the 100 percent juice and gluten-free attributes; a description of the company’s long-standing environmental commitment and the new website address, www.santacruzorganic.com.

Santa Cruz Organic Soda will transition from 12-oz. cans sold in traditional six-packs to 10.5-oz. cans available in four-pack recyclable cardboard carriers, reflecting consumer demand for a contemporary container and an eco-friendly carrying structure. Additionally, the soda line will add two new flavors—Organic Pomegranate Limeade and Organic Mango Lemonade—combining Santa Cruz Organic’s top-selling limeades and lemonades with the popular mango and pomegranate flavors. The new soda flavors will be introduced in February 2010 for $4.99 per four-pack.

Two new varieties of chocolate sauce will join Santa Cruz Organic Chocolate Syrup in spring 2010. The addition of Organic Mint Chocolate and Organic Raspberry Chocolate syrups creates a full line of organic dessert topping. Each are available in 15.5-oz. containers for $4.49.

Further snacking options will be available in spring 2010 with the introduction of Santa Cruz Organic’s new fruit sauce flavors, Organic Apple Peach Sauce and Organic Tropical Fruit Sauce. The new flavors will be available in a 23-oz. jar for $4.29 and 4-oz. cups for $4.59.

For more information, call (888) 569-6994 or visit www.scojuice.com.

Navitas Naturals (Novato, CA) recently achieved third-party Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)/Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) certification.

HACCP is a scientific process control system for identifying and preventing biological, chemical and physical hazards at critical points in the food production and distribution process. The seven key principles of HACCP are: conduct a hazard analysis; identify critical control points; establish critical limits for each critical control point; establish critical control point monitoring requirements; establish corrective actions; establish record keeping procedures; and establish procedures for ensuring the HACCP system is working as intended.

While HACCP is a mandatory program for some food categories in the US such as meat, seafood and juice, Navitas Naturals implements the program on a voluntary basis.

In addition to the HACCP and GMP certification, Navitas Naturals has also announced that it has completed production projects that significantly increase its capacity and efficiency. The company has added space and state-of-the-art equipment that has doubled its production and warehousing capacity for its branded products.

For more information, call (888) 645-4282 or visit www.navitasnaturals.com.

NP Nutra (Rancho Dominguez, CA) has received organic certification from QAI for more than 100 ingredients. NP Nutra’s wide range of organic certified products includes bestsellers such as Açai extracts, Açai Juice Powder, Acerola, Amla, Aronia, Bacopa Monnieri, Bilberry, Boswelia, Cocoa, Garcinia Cambogia, Gotu Kola, Grape Seed, Lucuma, Maca, Pomegranate, Rosehip, Schisandra, Spirulina, Tribulus Terrestris, Yacon and others.

The company’s organic certificate is valid for the North American market. NP Nutra also has EU organic certification for its açai products and can offer many other products EU organic certified as well. NP Nutra manufacturers nutraceutical ingredients at GMP certified facilities in many countries worldwide.

For more information, call (310) 694-3031 or visit www.npnutra.com.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) recently commended the US Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for classifying three steroids as “anabolic steroids” under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), but warned that the regulatory process is too lengthy and cumbersome to keep pace with the continuing flood of precursors and steroids being introduced to the market. The three steroids to be specifically scheduled on the CSA, effective January 4, 2010, are boldione, desoxymethyltestosterone (Madol) and 19-nor-4,9(10)-androstadienedione.

The DEA’s Final Rule for the Classification of Three Steroids as Schedule III Anabolic Steroids Under the Controlled Substances Act can be found at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-28572.htm.

“We applaud the DEA’s efforts in ensuring that these three dangerous steroids are added to the CSA,” said USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart. “However, because of the cumbersome regulatory process, it has taken over three years to get here, and this is only the tip of the iceberg. While three dangerous steroids identified years ago have finally been listed, in that time a host of others have been brought to market but not listed, and everyday we learn of additional nefarious substances being developed. We need a regulatory system capable of managing the magnitude of this problem, and that can stop those rogue supplement manufacturers who are meanwhile profiting.”

Since the exposure of the BALCO scandal in 2003, USADA was made aware of Madol as a designer steroid and has been testing for it since. Up until recently, products sold as dietary supplements containing Madol were still available through reputable, mainstream internet retailers. “While USADA applauds the DEA’s scheduling of Madol, it is time for decisive action to be taken that will ensure the prompt, comprehensive scheduling of illicit substances to the CSA, and safeguard the American public from further harmful products cleverly disguised as otherwise safe dietary supplements,” USADA said in a statement.

For more information, visit www.supplementsafetynow.com.