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BI Joins the Natural Health Product Research Alliance to Further Botanical Authentication and Quality

RANCHO DOMINGUEZ, CA — BI recently announced its membership in the Natural Health Product (NHP) Research Alliance. The Alliance, launched by the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, is a collaborative group focused on creating new verification standards, including a global standard biological reference materials DNA library for natural health products. Similar to BI, the goal of the Alliance is to ensure the sustainability and growth of stakeholders within the industry, as well as protecting the authenticity and quality of botanical ingredients.

The University of Guelph has long been recognized as a leader in DNA-based biotechnology. The expected growth of the natural products industry and growing concern over sustainability of raw materials has outlined the need for leadership in creating industry standards. The NHP Research Alliance was created with this goal in mind. The main vision of the Alliance is to ensure authentication and ingredient sustainability on a global level.

Randy Kreienbrink, BI’s Vice President of Marketing, said, “BI has long been an advocate for authentication of botanical ingredients. All of our ingredients undergo stringent quality analysis prior to impacting our customers in any form.”

“The type of DNA methods advocated by the NHP Research Alliance has great implications for the industry,” said Rupa Das, Vice President of Global Quality and Compliance. “These diagnostic tools can reinforce current quality control systems against the risk of adulteration and contamination often experienced with increased demand and consumption. BI’s Identilok® species testing identification process has added great value as a very stringent and thorough methodology for ingredient testing. Similar to the NHP research alliance, we feel that the DNA brings added value as yet another verification tool. We’re very proud of our alliance with this important leadership group and the positive impact on the industry”.

To learn more about BI and its authentication and quality programs, visit www.botanicals.com.

About BI

BI is a global full-service supplier of dietary supplement and functional food ingredients including whole herb powders and teas, standardized and ratio extracts, custom blends, vitamins, minerals, drum to hopper custom blends, granular ingredients and other specialty processes including time released and encapsulated ingredients. The company currently offers more than 200 ingredients that have been determined as safe for use in foods and beverages by the FDA or FEMA, the Flavors and Extracts Manufacturers Association. Since 2002, BI has been an innovator in steam sterilization and the company’s Protexx HP® Green Steam™ process is currently the industry’s only species-specific, organic sterilization method. All BI ingredients undergo stringent quality analysis that includes heavy metal, pesticide and irradiation testing. All herbal powder ingredients are also tested under the company’s Identilok® species identification process. The company has also developed a proprietary process, UltraHD®, which creates high-density herbal powders allowing for superior flow and less dusting during the manufacturing process. For more information, visit www.botanicals.com.

About NHP Research Alliance

NHP Research Alliance established in 2017 by the University of Guelph and leading industry partners, is a consortium utilizing novel molecular diagnostic tools to tackle major issues in ingredient authentication that are challenging the NHP industry. The Alliance mission is to 1) create new verification standards including a global Standard Biological Reference Material (SBRM) DNA Library for natural health products and 2) DNA-based biotechnology that can be integrated into supply chain management and quality assurance systems.

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