Vitamins, Diet and Sports Nutrition

DENVER — Although 77% of general shoppers compare store brands to brand names, 90% of women compare both regularly, according to a shopper behavior study conducted by The Integer Group and M/A/R/C Research that was published Thursday in The Checkout.  

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Sam's Club, via its Simply Right wellness brand, has donated $500,000 to Vitamin Angels, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing availability, access and use of micronutrients among at-risk populations in need. The monetary donation will help Vitamin Angels expand their efforts to reach at-risk children age five and under with vitamin A and daily multivitamins and pregnant or breastfeeding women with prenatal vitamins around the world and domestically.

BUTLER, N.J. – Sneaky Pete's Naturally Oatstanding Beverage is now available at various grocery stores and other retailers nationwide. The first soluble oat beverage of its kind, Sneaky Pete's is an easy and low-calorie way for consumers to meet the daily requirement for fiber.

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – Pharmavite has introduced Voots Veggie-Fruit Tarts, a fruit- and vegetable- based supplement for children ages 4 years and older that provides the antioxidants found in three servings of fruits and vegetables in two chewable berry-flavored tarts.

Voots are made with a blend of 11 fruits and vegetables and are blended with vitamin C and other ingredients before being pressed into tablets. Voots do not contain any artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. The tablets come in convenient single-serve packets so that kids can enjoy them on-the-go.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy is encouraging customers to consider making simple lifestyle changes to experience long-term health benefits in light of new findings on the positive effect of daily vitamin regimens released this week by Brigham and Women's Hospital and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

AUSTIN, Texas — British researchers have concluded that a Swiss echinacea extract is both safe and effective in helping to prevent symptoms of the common cold, according to a study published in American Botanical Council's peer-reviewed journal HerbalGram. 

ATLANTA, Ga. — SoloHealth on Thursday announced it has plans in place to expand its FDA-approved SoloHealth Station health-and-wellness digital kiosks to more than 2,500 store locations by mid-2013, scaling to more than 4,000 by 2014. 

VICTORIA, Australia — Sales of Swisse Ultivite multivitamins in the Australian and Asian markets have been a big driver behind overall sales, according to a Nielsen report cited by the company. 

Across both Australia and Asia, VMS sales were up 16% to $197 million for the year ended June 2012. Leading the charge was Suisse Ultivite, which grew by more than 40% "thanks to a high ad spend and launches that boost the profile of the whole range,” Nielsen said.