WASHINGTON, D.C., October 13, 2009 —The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and Virgo Publishing today announced a new educational webinar—Avoiding Red Flags and Monetary Penalties: What Every Company Needs to Know About Dietary Supplement Advertising—taking place on Tuesday, November 3, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. EST.  Given the recent publication by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of the final revisions to its guidance on endorsement and testimonial advertisements for all products, including dietary supplements and conventional foods, this webinar is particularly timely.

FTC’s Richard L. Cleland, assistant director of the Division of Advertising Practices, and one of the presenters on the webinar, will talk about these new guidelines during the two-hour event.  In addition, Paula Trumbo from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will offer an insider’s perspective on FDA’s decision making process for reviewing health claims petitions. Participants will also get perspectives from two regulatory attorneys with expertise on supplement advertising. John Villafranco, Kelley Drye & Warren, LLP, will discuss using single ingredient research to make a total product claim, offering specific advice on when you can and when you can’t.  Mark B. Levine of the National Advertising Division will also talk about how industry self-regulatory initiatives can help level the playing field and help avoid reaching the level of an FTC action.  CRN’s Duffy MacKay, N.D., and Virgo’s Jon Benninger will moderate the webinar.

This is the second webinar produced by CRN and Virgo this year with the first—Emerging International Markets for Dietary Supplements: Opportunities and Challenges—available now for purchase on-demand.                                                                                                                                   
“The regulatory agencies are stepping up enforcement actions against companies not abiding by the law.  This webinar provides an opportunity for companies to hear first-hand what they need to do to follow the rules, and to ask questions from regulatory and legal experts,” said Dr. MacKay, vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs, CRN.

The registration fee—$149 for CRN members and $199 for non-members—is a per registration site fee, meaning multiple people may participate in the webinar from a single site, such as a company’s conference room. The registration fee also includes unlimited access to the on-demand recording of the webinar for 90 days. 
To find further details on the speakers, the agenda, and registration information, please visit Virgo Publishing’s online training and education site.

Note to Editor: The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973, is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing dietary supplement manufacturers and ingredient suppliers.  In addition to complying with a host of federal and state regulations governing dietary supplements in the areas of manufacturing, marketing, quality control and safety, our 70+ manufacturer and supplier members also agree to adhere to additional voluntary guidelines as well as CRN’s Code of Ethics. Visit www.crnusa.org.

Virgo Publishing produces the SupplySide trade shows and conferences, Focus on the Future executive conference and retreat, Nutrilearn.com webinar education website, and insidecosmeceuticals.com.  In addition to publishing leading health and nutrition publications such as Natural Products INSIDER, Natural Products Marketplace, and Food Product Design, Virgo publishes CULINOLOGY for the Research Chefs Association.