Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. (“Couche-Tard”) confirms that it has recently submitted a non-binding offer letter to Carrefour SA for a friendly combination at a price of €20.00 per Carrefour share (coupon attached). The terms of the transaction are under discussion and remain subject to diligence, but the consideration is currently expected to be in cash in a large majority.
There can be no certainty at this stage that these discussions will result in any agreement or transaction. In considering strategic transactions, Couche-Tard will remain focused on creating stakeholder value. Couche-Tard will keep the public informed of any material developments in this respect if and when it is legally required or otherwise appropriate for the Company to do so.
Optimism continues to grow with the announcement of several vaccines offering over 90 percent protection against COVID-19. However, reports suggest that for a majority of people, the vaccine will not be available until the second quarter of 2021.
Until then, trials continue on the potential support of supplements. Queen Mary University of London recently launched a study into vitamin D, assessing the effectiveness of the supplement in reducing the risk or severity of the virus.
The effectiveness of vitamin D is now being recognized by both national and devolved governments in the UK. Some scientific advisers are now suggesting that a national provider of vitamin D could be used to help reduce infections or hospitalizations until the vaccine is ready for widespread administration. However, will vitamin D be used to help ease the burden of viral infections while vaccines are rolled out across the country?
A national deficiency
While the NHS recommends that additional vitamin D supplements should be used between October and early March due to limited sunlight hours, in 2020 the public health body has suggested that the vitamins should be used year-round as a consequence of lockdowns and limited outdoor time.
A deficiency in vitamin D is an attributing cause of rickets, especially among children. A study also found that COVID-19 patients are almost twice as likely to be deficient in vitamin D.
There is not yet enough evidence that vitamin D can prevent coronavirus. But, with little to no side effects involved in taking the supplement, could its use be a tentative win for public health?
Concurrent trials
The quick development of vaccines for COVID-19 has been hailed by medical professionals, the latest Oxford vaccines demonstrate up to 90 percent efficacy. However, studies continue to explore how vitamin D can help to alleviate symptoms and reduce recovery time.
Vitamin D has anti-inflammatory properties. This means it may provide assistance to the body’s immune response to respiratory illnesses. Lung damage as a result of the coronavirus can an inflammatory cytokine storm. Essentially, an overwhelming inflammation caused by your body’s immune system releasing proteins. The inflammation can cause serious illness or be fatal.
There are suggestions that vitamin D’s anti-inflammatory effects will alleviate this condition.
Meanwhile, Queen Mary University continues its randomized clinical trial. They are testing whether the implementation of a test-and-treat approach which will correct insufficient levels of vitamin D will result in reduced risk or severity of COVID-19 and other acute respiratory infections.
The trial is supported by the pharmaceutical companies, Pharma Nord, and NHS trust charity, Barts Charity. Their support highlights the potential effectiveness of vitamin D against respiratory illnesses, particularly among older generations.
Government support
News of vitamin D’s potential effectiveness against the coronavirus has reached UK Parliament. Before implementing the second national lockdown in England, on 2nd November, the Prime Minister was questioned on the specific benefits of the supplement. MP David Davis suggested: “[Vitamin D] could reduce infection rates by half and case death rates by half again.
“The Scottish Government are sending four months’ supply of vitamin D to everybody who shielded in Scotland. Given that it is low cost and there is no medical downside, will our Government consider the same approach in England?”
Boris Johnson responded that the results were promising: “We are indeed looking at the possible beneficial effects of vitamin D, and I know that we will be updating the House shortly.”
Following this, it was announced that vitamin D supplements will be delivered to more than two million clinically vulnerable people. This includes all care home residents across England. Beginning in December, the supplies are intended to last throughout the winter.
Speculation continues whether this roll-out could be extended to more individuals or for a longer period as the government supports more trials into the effectiveness of vitamin supplementation. Health Secretary Matthew Hancock reiterated optimism surrounding the idea: “I have asked the scientists to look once again at the impact of vitamin D on resistance and immunity.”
Using vitamin D to support the vaccine administration is being made a clear and achievable objective for governments across the UK.
Approved vaccines are expected to be used from December 2020, targeting the most vulnerable first. This includes older people and those with pre-existing medical conditions, before targeting NHS and key workers. However, until this can be implemented for the general public, vitamin D may be of use to help the recovering population.
Dr.Sapna Makhija, MD, FRCPC, ABOM Diplomat Gastroenterologist with an interest in Clinical Nutrition and co-owner of GI Health Centre in Burlington outlines gut health tips and Gastrointestinal symptoms that should not be overlooked that points to COVID-19
In the early stages of COVID-19 Chinese researchers pinpointed Gastrointestinal Manifestations and Potential Fecal–Oral Transmission as a source of spreading the virus, noting that the oral is a route into the body but the “digestive tract is a primary organ system for the virus to multiply, replicate, and potentially spread,” cited Brennan Spiegel, MD, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, told MedPage Today.
A study shows that 5 percent to 15 percent of patients who have contracted COVID-19, often have gut issues that have persisted after the first phase of the infection and sometimes signalled worse patient outcomes, as it might indicate the virus has involved more into the body.
Recently New York clinicianspublished figures that noted 22 percent of COVID-19 hospital patients had diarrhea, 7 percent had abdominal pain, 16 percent had nausea, and 9 percent had vomiting. Overall, 33 percent of patients had gastrointestinal issues and 62 percent of patients evidence of liver injury.
Dr. Sapna Makhija shares what complications could arise with your gut health in the future after having COVID-19 but also tips on how to strengthen your gut health.
Future complications after having Gastrointestinal issues after having COVID-19
Gastrointestinal issues for up to two months after recovering
Diarrhea
Nausea
Abdominal discomfort
Decreased appetite
Mood fluctuations
Gastrointestinal health tips
Having adequate fibre & water (helps with stool transit. Fibre also helps with Cholesterol control, satiety and improves the microbiome. Soluble fibre lowers cholesterol by binding to it in the small intestine. Once inside the small intestine, the fibre attaches to the cholesterol particles, preventing them from entering your bloodstream and travelling to other parts of the body.)
Avoiding processed foods (the environment created in the gut by processed foods (once broken down) is a great environment for microbes that promote diverse forms of inflammatory disease. Also, studies show that the availability of processed foods is positively associated with the prevalence of obesity)
A variety of vegetables (if cellular plant foods (vegetables) are ingested—a substantial amount of feels from whole plant food will enter the colon in an intact state, and favours the growth of bacteria that degrade the fibre and produce beneficial metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) that are beneficial for the host)
Exercise & Stress level management (there are a small number of studies that suggest exercise affects the gut in a positive way, and stress).
“The gut microbiome consists of trillions of species, which makes it so unpredictable and a challenge to adequately study. One of the main roles of the gut is to keep the body’s immune response on point. One of the best ways to optimize your gut immune system is to diversify the gut bacteria. This may assist in making the body more resilient at fighting disease and infection. There is also a connection between the gut and the brain, called the gut/brain axis. The gut bacteria produce mood chemicals that are critical for mood, anxiety and concentration,” says Dr. Sapna Makhija,MD, FRCPC, ABOM Diplomat Gastroenterologist and co-owner of GI Health Centre.
Following a significant drop in prices, avocado pricing has picked up and may continue to do so.
Currently, Mexico is the only player in the market shipping avocados with the lack of Peru, Chile and California shipping fruit. (Though California will be set to begin again in April.)
“In Mexico, they’re harvesting on the higher elevations. Production is now lower compared to two weeks ago. In some areas, harvest authorizations have been restricted from 180 per day to 120 harvest authorizations per day, per municipality,” says Jorge Mardones of OTC Produce LLC. based in Charlotte, NC. “The idea is to improve the prices with less supply.” He notes this stems from production two weeks ago which was ample and pushed the price of avocados down significantly. “48s were $19/box and the growers had never seen those prices before,” adds Mardones.
Clearly it worked because today, pricing is $26/box. “The market in avocados is related more to supply than demand. And now the harvest in Mexico is getting less and less every day so I think throughout January and February, the prices may increase,” he says, adding that the market has no space for #2 fruit currently and is only asking for #1.
Frost concerns
Factoring into that pricing are a few variables including a frost that happened two weeks ago in Mexico. “There may be thousands of acres affected by that frost and it affects not only this year’s crop but next year’s as well. The prices may increase because of it,” says Mardones. Looking ahead, growers are also concerned because those frost temperatures could continue throughout January.
At the same time, the growers are motivated to pick. “They want to harvest because the bloom is right now. And if you have avocados in the tree at the same time and the flower blooming, there will be less fruit next year,” says Mardones. Mexico has a more sizeable crop this year compared to last year. “Today, compared to last year, there are 71,000 more tonnes,” adds Mardones.
And while demand is at its strongest leading up to the first Sunday in February, the Superbowl, Mardones notes that there are other smaller events that happen throughout the month that influence demand. “They don’t have the same demand, but the consumer will continue using avocado throughout February,” he says.
A new guide for customers who want to simplify making the best product choices based on their own lifestyles, values or health needs when they shop. As of today, nearly 9,000 products – found in-store, online and the My Metro app – will display one or more of the program attributes – close to 50 – allowing Metro customers to make their shopping experience easier and faster.
Metro worked with experts and specialists to design and implement this program with a unique methodology. The development of the program’s classification criteria was based on research data, analyzing Canadian consumer trends, Canada’s food guide, information published by regulatory bodies like Health Canada, and the standards for different dietary lifestyles. A product may include several attributes classified according to their level of importance. Therefore, food could be classified as vegan, gluten-free and non-GMO.
“Every month in Ontario, more than 1.3 million searches1 are made on the Web in relation to the various attributes of My Health My Choices,” says Mike Thomson, Vice President Grocery Merchandising, Metro. “With this program, we’re giving our customers the opportunity to choose foods that meet their own definition of wellness. The guide is designed to make their in-store or online shopping experience with us easier and more time-efficient,” he says.
Metro is the only grocery store in Canada to offer a food selection guide based on lifestyle and personal preferences through its My Health My Choices program. AIR MILES members will have access to more personalized offers and content based on their favourite attributes on the My Metro application. In fact, the application will contain a new feature allowing customers to scan product barcodes, at home or in the stores, to learn their particularities and which attributes they have.
“When you consider that 51%2 of Canadian adults regularly seek information on the quality, suitability and healthiness of the products they consume, a program such as this one is particularly important,” says Linda Montpetit, a nutritionist and long-time collaborator of Metro. “Information on product packaging is not always easy for consumers to interpret. This program combines the information on the labels with the hidden qualities of the products. This will greatly simplify people’s shopping experience and help them make informed decisions more easily.”
Nadia Eccles has joined Jamieson Wellness Inc. as senior business development manager.
She has over 20 years of experience in the CPG industry including Crossmark, Acosta, Longo’s and Wm. Dunne & Associates Ltd. Most recently, she was sales planning manager at The Clorox Company.
“Our commitment and employing a clinical development strategy for novel ingredients such as PS128™ is really leading the way to create evidence-based functional food and supplement products in the marketplace overall,” said Frankie Cheng, CEO of Bened Biomedical Co. Ltd. “We want our customers in the United States to know that we are fully dedicated to investing into our products and processes from beginning to end, and ensuring we are a reliable supplier in terms of safety and efficacy as well as all of the compliance requirements from the FDA.”
The patented strain of Lactobacillus Plantarum PS128™ was developed from extensive research for the improvement of mental, neurological, and gastrointestinal health. The Self-affirmed GRAS consensus was attained after a formal and stringent review by an independent expert panel.
“REJIMUS was honoured to earn this opportunity to work with Bened Biomedical in bringing such a novel patented ingredient to the U.S.,” said Brandon Griffin, CEO of REJIMUS, INC. “In addition to the PS128™ introduction to the U.S. market, the development and implementation of Bened’s supply chain and quality systems to better align with that of their U.S. customers’ anticipated needs was a tremendous undertaking in these unprecedented times. Many of our clients here in the U.S. have been negatively impacted by their international suppliers due to the pandemic, so guiding Bened Biomedical in the preparation from an operational and compliance standpoint to rapidly attract more customers was paramount.”
Dr. Kalyan Gaddam, ND, Director of Integrative Oncology & Rehabilitation Center at the Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Centers (CBCC) in Bakersfield, CA has established a good nutrition program as part of the treatment available to patients at CBCC. Gaddam has been instrumental in spearheading the nutritional program that is offered through the CBCC Health and Wellness Café to provide customized nutrition based on a patient’s diagnosis.
“Lifestyle choices, such as poor eating habits, smoking, overindulging in alcohol and sugar and lack of exercise certainly increase a person’s risk for developing a chronic disease,” said Gaddam. “Treating chronic diseases lead to the nation’s health care costs.”
The Center for Disease Control reports (CDC) that “90% of the nation’s $3.5 trillion in annual health care expenditures are for people with chronic and mental health conditions.”
More than 868,000 Americans die of heart disease or stroke every year 7 million people in the United States are diagnosed with cancer and almost 600,000 die
More than 34.2 million Americans have diabetes and another 88 million adults have prediabetes, putting them at risk for type 2 diabetes.
Obesity affects 19% of children and 42% of adults, adding risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers.
Other diseases such as arthritis, Alzheimer’s Disease, epilepsy and tooth decay also top the list of serious diseases afflicting millions of Americans.
“Eating healthy is a substantial part of lowering the risk for developing chronic disease,” said Gaddam. “A balanced diet of fruit and veggies, whole grains, lean meat and low-fat dairy products is important and can even help peel off extra pounds. “But,” said Gaddam, “Once a disease is present, nutritional needs often change and the challenge becomes how to provide specialized nutrition solutions that meet the special needs of patients and improve their quality of life.”
Gaddam said that conditions like cachexia, also known as “wasting syndrome,” which is common to cancer, HIV, chronic renal failure and multiple sclerosis, causes weight loss, weakness, low energy, muscle loss, anemia and anorexia, are difficult to address with a regular healthy diet. ” Traditional nutritional support has not been successful in cancer cachexia. Most of the commercially available products have shown little to no effect,” said Gaddam.
“Focusing on nutrition and natural ways to overcome pain and illness have always been at the center of my medical career. I’m fortunate to have a comprehensive breadth of practice to call upon and putting my research and experience to work on the nutritional project with our Health Wellness Café, here at CBCC, is making a difference in the qualify of life for our patients,” said Gaddam.
Gaddam is the first Naturopathic Doctor to work with CBCC and is responsible for helping establish CBCC’s integrative cancer center for Naturopathic and integrative health services. He led the research teams that developed natural nutritional products for Ayush Herbs and YouVeda, LLC, presented the results of a clinical study at the 2019 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and most recently released Aaku Everyday Greens, a balanced and versatile nutritional product developed specifically to decrease the risk many diseases including cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and other serious diseases and is suitable for those with allergies and sensitive stomachs.
Dr. Kalyan Gaddam, ND received his doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine from internationally recognized Bastyr University in Seattle, WA. After completing his graduate work with a degree in Naturopathic Medicine, homeopathic medicine and surgery in India, Dr. Gaddam has worked with leaders in the field of integrative naturopathic oncology. He is on the Board of Directors for Youveda LLC, personalized nutrition, and is an active member of the California Association of Naturopathic Medicine (CNDA), Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians and American Association of Naturopathic Medicine (AANP).
For Vegans its incredibly difficult to shop vegan products and be assured that they’re certified vegan, without searching endlessly all over google and carrying out extensive ingredient research. Chloe Taylor, 22, CEO & Founder of the startup brand UNEARTHED.CO, from Stourbridge, West Midlands, has created an online marketplace to make shopping certified vegan cosmetics and fashion much easier, faster & more enjoyable for fellow vegans.
Unearthed.co will only house brands that are vegan certified and affordable, to assure customers that they will have no nasty surprises when the product is in their hands, as well as to prove that a vegan lifestyle doesn’t have to be expensive, products listed on site are below £100. The brand is targeted towards millennials of all genders and prides itself on its inclusivity. Disrupting vegan stereotypes, Unearthed.co is for everyone: race, size, gender, whether you’re vegan or not. It does not discriminate, it instead acts as an online destination that serves and unites people with the core interest of shopping more ethically. A Crowd funder for Unearthed.co is currently running on Crowdfunder.co.uk to raise a capital of £30,000 to ensure Unearthedco.uk can launch in January 2021 (Veganuary) and the brand can put substantial spend in marketing to build its awareness and help as many people as possible shop more consciously.
[Chloe Taylor] [CEO & Founder] said: “The vegan market is only going to grow going forward, as people become more conscious of climate change and the impact agriculture has on that. Its important brands do their best to inform people how much their shopping decisions can play a role in that. Whilst there are competitors occupying this space currently, I’ve seen none of them offer affordable vegan brands that are deemed fashionable, for all genders, with sizes ranging up to 6XXL that are under £100. To make a change a vegan lifestyle needs to be viewed as accessible, and that’s exactly what we plan to do by launching Unearthed.co.”
ESE Entertainment Inc. is pleased to announce that it has commenced distribution of “Over Power”, one of the world’s first branded esports edible supplements, through direct e-commerce sales. Sales of the supplement will add to ESE’s existing diversified revenue streams of esports related assets and partnerships.
Over Power was designed to enhance performance in various domains relevant to competitive esports and athletic sports, including concentration, focus, caffeine regulation, mood balance, stress regulation, reflex enhancement, anti-fatigue and mental efficiency. Over Power’s principal active ingredients include nootropics of various origins, including Brahmi, Japanese ginkgo and Siberian ginseng. Over Power has completed regulated testing and has shown a positive impact in training and performance for both esports and physical athletes. Over Power is produced by Pharmovit, an established Europe-based pharmaceutical-grade manufacturer of dietary supplements.
ESE will commence online distribution and sales of Over Power on December 11. The supplement will be available for purchase at the official ESE store www.ese.gg/shop and in Poland through and www.zdrowaznatury.pl.
Over Power was created and founded by Łukasz “Puki Style” Zygmunciak, one of the most recognizable esports athletes of the gaming franchise League of Legends in Europe. In April 2020, on the eve of the EU Masters final, the term “Puki Mania” was coined, when 4,000 fans posted Puki Style’s photo on social media in support.
Łukasz “Puki Style” Zygmunciak commented, “As a professional player and athlete, I’ve always sought a supplement that will contribute to my activity both in-game and outside of it. I’m thankful to ESE and Pharmovit for the opportunity to be the first player to contribute to the creation of such a product.”
Paweł Korzeniecki, Pharmovit Commercial Director, commented, “Over Power – by Puki Style is a big step in developing awareness of physical and mental health in the field of computer games. Working with Łukasz, our main goal was to increase mental performance not only of athletes but also aspiring gamers.”
Michał Mango, Chief of Strategy at ESE Entertainment, commented, “ESE collaborating with one of the most recognizable esports athletes in Europe and a pharmaceutical manufacturer is completely original in the domestic esports and gaming-related market. The collaboration also highlights the increasing professionalization of the world of esport through a responsible approach to diet and supplementation.”
