In its ongoing effort to create a growing brain trust of resources for its membership and the dietary supplement industry at large, the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA) unveiled a new formal, collaborative partnership with the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) as its newest Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Partner.
 
A respected institute of higher education dedicated to serving the citizens of British Columbia and partners around the world, BCIT, based in Burnaby, British Columbia, is known for training graduates, who are productive and career-ready with highly valued credentials in business and industry. The institute’s Natural Health Products Group has been an active participant in the natural products health industry for more than a decade, spearheading product development, quality standards and regulatory compliance. By providing fundamental investigations on product quality, safety and efficacy, BCIT supports industry from grower to manufacturer, helping to ensure product integrity.
 
“We are proud to be a part of the growing UNPA brain trust,” said Kim Dotto, BCIT’s dean of applied research. “BCIT’s Natural Health & Food Products Research Group has been supporting the local and international herbal industry for more than 15 years and is pioneering much-needed standardization of methods for testing herbal ingredients and finished products. This relationship is another great example of the developing role BCIT is playing internationally in enhancing productivity, growth and innovation through our applied research and innovation.”
 
“Working with her colleagues at BCIT, Dr. Paula Brown has worked tirelessly to forward rigorous natural product and dietary supplement research and education in North America,” said UNPA President Loren Israelsen. “The organization has taken a leading role in projects to benefit the agri-food industry and in developing recommendations in analytical chemistry and regulatory framework for natural products and botanicals. We look forward to working with BCIT and its faculty in addressing these issues as they see growing significance and global market relevance.”
 
As UNPA’s newest MOU Partner, BCIT joins two other institutions of higher education, the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi, School of Pharmacy and Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and a total of 15 UNPA MOU and commercial partners. UNPA organizes its key objectives and work plans through these partnerships that bring expertise, influence and trusted reputations to the UNPA membership. By laying out its joint objectives via MOUs and commercial partnerships, UNPA is able to serve the needs of its members and its industry stakeholders with greatest effect and efficiency.