Honson Pharmatech Group, a manufacturer and supplier of vitamins, herbal extracts and supplements for the nutraceuticals industry, has announced that Ken Davrey is their new vice-president.
Before working with the Toronto-based company, Davrey held a variety of positions at Swiss Herbal Remedies Ltd., including senior marketing manager and most recently, director of internartional sales.
Health Canada is planning to drastically revamp the regulation of natural health products. This will allow the organization to address concerns over misleading and unproven claims on product labels.
Under this proposed system, Health Canada would group natural health products, cosmetics and over-the-counter drugs together, regulating them based on their potential health risks.
In this system, many vitamins, homeopathic products and cosmetics would be classified as “low risk,” meaning that they would not be licensed by Health Canada. With this, manufacturers would still have to meet Health Canada’s quality standards, but would be prohibited from making disease prevention claims on product labels.
“Moderate” or “high” risk products, like over-the-counter painkillers and allergy medications, would be reviewed by Health Canada. Additionally, these products could only make health claims based on scientifically proven grounds.
Health Canada also announced that it might adopt new powers to issue mandatory recalls of natural health products that are found to be unsafe. Moreover, the department may impose user fees on companies that want to sell natural health products and cosmetics.
Given these suggestions, natural health and cosmetic retailers must be prepared to make any necessary changes to their labels. For any concerns about this matter, contact Health Canada directly at 1-866-337-7705.
Organic Garage has announced the rebranding of its logo and website, as well as the late 2016 opening of its newest Toronto store.
The new location—which will be Organic Garage’s largest store—will be located in the west end of Toronto at 43 Junction Road. This will also mark the first opening in a multi-store expansion into the Toronto Market.
“I am very excited for the opening of Organic Garage at 43 Junction Road, as is the local community, “ says Ward Councillor Frances Nunziata.“ With their healthy food choices, Organic Garage will help promote health and wellbeing in the community and I am sure it will become a destination store for many in Ward 11.”
The new location will include the following:
• 100% Certified Organic produce department with one of the largest selections available in Toronto
• Bulk section with over 100 items boasting over 80% Certified Organic SKUs and 3 fresh nut butter mills
• Fresh salad bar with unique and seasonal items
• Dedicated focus on local vendors throughout the store
• State of the art, environmentally friendly refrigeration and HVAC technologies
• 400+ car parking and patio seating
• Latest updates to our Organic Garage brand yet to be seen in the market
The company’s new logo and website are part of this brand expansion. To see the revamped site, head to www.organicgarage.com.
Eataly, an Italian gourmet food market, will soon be setting up shop in downtown Toronto’s Manulife Centre, despite previous roadblocks.
Earlier this year, BuzzBuzzNews reported that Eataly was having issues with the planned opening of a 39,000-square-foot, three-floor location in the Manulife Centre. This was due to an injunction won by The Bloor Street Diner, which also occupies space in the complex.
Now, however, Eataly is set to open up shop in Toronto within the next few years.
Headquartered in Monticello d’Alba, Italy, Eataly operates locations across Europe and Asia and currently has three stores open in the United States.
The Weston family owns 52 per cent of Eataly’s Canadian operation. The Manulife Centre location will be the company’s first in Canada.
(Tramadol)
In response to what it has dubbed the “national opioid crisis,” Health Canada is planning to restrict six chemicals used to make fentanyl.
According to Health Minister Jane Philpott, if passed, Bill S-225 will allow the federal government to quickly bring this change about. Put forward by Senator Vern White, a former Ottawa police chief, the bill proposes to add these chemicals to the Controlled Drugs and Substances act. This will subject the previously unregulated drugs to the same controls as cocaine, heroin or other illegal drugs.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that’s 100 times more potent than morphine. Usually, its prescribed in a patch form to treat chronic pain. However, it is now commonly cut into other street drugs—including heroin, oxycontin and methamphetamine—to make them more potent. Unfortunately, an amount the size of two grains of salt is enough to kill a healthy adult.
The Health Minister adds that she is planning a summit to address the growing issue—which has seen its worst effects in B.C. and Ontario—later this fall.
Annie’s Homegrown plans to launch 30 original certified organic products this year, with new options in cereal, yogurt, soup and baking. At this time, the company—which was purchased by General Mills 2014—will also be launching a new brand campaign called “Organic for Everybunny.”
The new integrated digital campaign reinforces today’s consumer demand for organic, which has seen double-digit growth since 2015. The campaign launched on Facebook on Aug. 19, where it will run through the fall.
The campaign, which marks Annie’s largest campaign spend to-date, aims to convince modern consumers that eating organic is possible for everyone. According to exclusive research performed by the company, only 23 per cent of people in the U.S. believe they can afford to buy organic food.
“Annie’s has been passionate about organic for decades and believes it’s better for families, farmers and the planet we all share,” said John Foraker, president at Annie’s. “But, we don’t think organic should be reserved for certain social or economic demographics. That’s why we are putting a stake in the ground and making organic more accessible for more people in the U.S.”
Food & Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC) has appointed Michael Graydon as its new CEO. Graydon replaces Nancy Croitoru, who announced her retirement as president and CEO back in July.
Most recently, Graydon was president and CEO of the British Columbia Lottery Corporation. His previous experience also includes work in advertising, food service and food processing, and grocery retail. Additionally, he was Sobeys’ executive vice-president of marketing and retail brands from 1998 to 2000.
Graydon’s career also includes positions as president and CEO of Mega Group Inc., Canada’s largest retail buying group, and executive vice-president and general manager of JD Sweid Foods.
“Each of these roles provides relevant experience with many facets of the food and consumer products industry and gives [Graydon] a solid platform for growth,” says FCPC. “Michael’s experience across multiple industries combined with his multi-stakeholder management makes him ideally suited for the FCPC role. He has a proven track record of strong and active leadership, proactive and collaborative stakeholder engagement, and he knows how to grow and sustain results.”
The appointment becomes effective on September 12.
Sobeys revamps IGA’s Western Canadian image
For the first time in 15 years, Sobeys Inc. has opened a new store under its IGA banner in Western Canada. The new Emerald Park location, found just east of Regina, marks a new direction for the IGA brand—one that is focused on a sense of community.
The banner currently has 32 locations in Western Canada, which are located primarily in small towns.
“We refer to (IGA) as our community banner,” Keri Scobie, communications manager for Sobeys in Western Canada, told the Regina Leader-Post. “They’re in a few larger centres, but mostly in smaller towns. This one is really kind of a flagship, a look to what the future of the community banner will be for Western Canada. It’s an entirely different-looking store. It won’t feel like you’re at a regular IGA.”
Scobie added that the new store has a much more modern feel than its predecessors, with many new prepared food and shopping options. For instance, the Emerald Park location offers stir-fry dishes, store-made flatbreads, a curry bar, organic and natural products, premium meat and seafood departments, as well as a pet boutique.
The new store’s operators are Wayne and Joan Zook, seasoned veterans of Saskatchewan’s grocery business.
“Franchisees Wayne and Joan Zook have more than 40 years of combined grocery retail experience,” says Jana Sobey, vice-president of community stores for Sobeys Inc. “Before their transition to the IGA banner, they led Sobeys Albert Street in Regina. We’re excited to have this incredible husband-and-wife team lead the way for the community banner with the newest IGA.”
According to a study published in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, unmodified stem cells may one day be used to prevent a type of osteoporosis caused by glucocorticoid therapy. Osteoporosis is among the most significant side effects of glucocorticoid therapy, which is used for the management of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
A previous study showed the effectiveness of gene-modified mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to relieve glucocorticoid therapy-induced osteoporosis (GIOP). This led researchers at the Fourth Military Medical University in Shaanxi, China, to wonder whether unmodified MSCs might also be a therapy for GIOP.
MSCs, adult stem cells traditionally found in the bone marrow, are attractive to researchers because they can be coaxed into differentiating into a variety of cell types.
“We hypothesized that it might prevent the reduction of bone mass and strength in GIOP through maintaining bone formation by inhabiting and functioning in recipient bone marrow,” says the study’s lead investigator, Yan Jin, M.D., Ph.D., of the university’s Center for Tissue Engineering.
During the study, allogeneic (donor) bone marrow-derived MSCs were isolated, identified and systemically infused into mice that had been given an excessive dose of a glucocorticoid (dexamethasone) to induce GIOP. The results showed that these MSC infusions prevented the reduction of bone mass and strength in the mice.
“Although preliminary, this study provides some promising data for the therapeutic potential of allogeneic MSCs in glucocorticoid therapy-induced osteoporosis,” said Anthony Atala, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
On September 1, the Montreal Health Institute (MHI) opened its innovative Cardiovascular Genetics Centre. The new facility, which is the largest in Canada dedicated to cardiovascular disease, provides patients and families affected by genetic cardiovascular diseases with an integrated, multidisciplinary location for clinical assessment.
“This is the only specialized centre in Quebec with comprehensive expertise in patient monitoring thanks to a combination of clinical investigation and molecular testing for genetic cardiovascular diseases,” says Dr. Talajic, director of the Centre.
The centre features both a laboratory and a medical/educational clinic. The clinic serves to educate patients and their families about the individual and family risks associated with genetic diseases. Additionally, the laboratory will carry out molecular genetic testing, allowing doctors to “identify the variants involved in the pathogenesis of several genetic cardiovascular diseases,” says Dr. Julie Amyot, clinical biochemist and director of the molecular diagnostics lab.
The genetics clinic includes a multidisciplinary team responsible for assessing the range of genetic cardiovascular pathologies in patients with hereditary arrhythmias, aortopathies, and cardiomyopathies. The laboratory is equipped with state-of-the art technology, including a new generation MiSeq sequencer and a Sanger sequencer.
The new centre was made possible thanks to Hydro-Québec, who made a donation to the molecular diagnostics lab, and the Philippa and Marvin Carsley Cardiology Chair at Université de Montréal. The chairholder is Dr. Peter Guerra, Chief of the Department of Medicine and specialist in cardiac arrhythmia.
