04.11.17
The American Botanical Council has endorsed the new Online Wellness Library (OWL), a self-regulatory initiative spearheaded by the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) for use by the dietary supplement industry to help create a more complete picture of the U.S. marketplace.
The OWL is a two-tiered registry containing information from the labels of dietary supplement products. Tier 1 includes an image of each supplement label and all of the information, including all ingredients, that appears on each label. There is no charge to the manufacturer/marketer to participate in Tier 1.
Other information may be voluntarily submitted by each dietary supplement manufacturer to appear in Tier 2 of the OWL, for what is being termed a nominal charge. For example, manufacturers may choose to include information such as third-party cGMP certifications, product specifications, documentation of supply-chain and/or production sustainability programs, or other product credentials. Manufacturers have the option to determine who will have access permission to view the information submitted in Tier 2.
The primary reason for the creation and maintenance of the OWL is to increase accountability and transparency in the dietary supplement industry by enabling public access to information on dietary supplement products sold in the U.S. The primary audience for OWL includes regulators, retailers, and other members of the industry. Other audiences (consumers, health professionals, researchers, journalists, et al.) will also have access to view the information in Tier 1.
CRN has teamed up with UL (Underwriters Laboratories) for the development and curation of the OWL.
In the ABC endorsement letter to CRN President Steve Mister, ABC Founder and Executive Director Mark Blumenthal wrote:
“ABC has long advocated for various measures by nonprofit organizations and/or members of the botanical and natural products industries to increase sustainability, quality control, transparency, appropriate scientific and clinical research, and responsible communication about the activities and benefits of these ingredients as they are employed in consumer products.
“Based on the initial information we have observed about the proposed OWL, we believe that this new program, in principle, helps fill a vital need in the dietary supplement industry and extended community and the general public—for researchers, health professionals, regulators, members of industry, and consumers to gain relatively easy access to relevant information on specific commercial dietary supplement products in the U.S. marketplace.
“ABC encourages its members in the botanical and dietary supplement industry that market branded botanical dietary supplement products to participate in the OWL by submitting product information to the Supplement OWL through UL for inclusion.”
More information about the Supplement OWL and how to participate is available from CRN by contacting Gisele Atkinson at gatkinson@crnusa.org (202-204-7671), from UL by contacting Erik Eberhart at erik.eberhart@ul.com (913-304-7841), or by visiting www.SupplementOwl.org.
The OWL is a two-tiered registry containing information from the labels of dietary supplement products. Tier 1 includes an image of each supplement label and all of the information, including all ingredients, that appears on each label. There is no charge to the manufacturer/marketer to participate in Tier 1.
Other information may be voluntarily submitted by each dietary supplement manufacturer to appear in Tier 2 of the OWL, for what is being termed a nominal charge. For example, manufacturers may choose to include information such as third-party cGMP certifications, product specifications, documentation of supply-chain and/or production sustainability programs, or other product credentials. Manufacturers have the option to determine who will have access permission to view the information submitted in Tier 2.
The primary reason for the creation and maintenance of the OWL is to increase accountability and transparency in the dietary supplement industry by enabling public access to information on dietary supplement products sold in the U.S. The primary audience for OWL includes regulators, retailers, and other members of the industry. Other audiences (consumers, health professionals, researchers, journalists, et al.) will also have access to view the information in Tier 1.
CRN has teamed up with UL (Underwriters Laboratories) for the development and curation of the OWL.
In the ABC endorsement letter to CRN President Steve Mister, ABC Founder and Executive Director Mark Blumenthal wrote:
“ABC has long advocated for various measures by nonprofit organizations and/or members of the botanical and natural products industries to increase sustainability, quality control, transparency, appropriate scientific and clinical research, and responsible communication about the activities and benefits of these ingredients as they are employed in consumer products.
“Based on the initial information we have observed about the proposed OWL, we believe that this new program, in principle, helps fill a vital need in the dietary supplement industry and extended community and the general public—for researchers, health professionals, regulators, members of industry, and consumers to gain relatively easy access to relevant information on specific commercial dietary supplement products in the U.S. marketplace.
“ABC encourages its members in the botanical and dietary supplement industry that market branded botanical dietary supplement products to participate in the OWL by submitting product information to the Supplement OWL through UL for inclusion.”
More information about the Supplement OWL and how to participate is available from CRN by contacting Gisele Atkinson at gatkinson@crnusa.org (202-204-7671), from UL by contacting Erik Eberhart at erik.eberhart@ul.com (913-304-7841), or by visiting www.SupplementOwl.org.
