OpTree

Mannatechhas announced that as of November 1st, 2008 they have officially begun selling its products in Singapore.

The expansion into Singapore was celebrated at the company’s Coppell Texas headquarters with a flag raising ceremony. The company is thrilled about the further expansion into Asia as they continue to grow around the world.

Entrepreneurs in Singapore are now eligible for enrollment. While not all products will be available right away, new distributors will have some of the company’s top sellers to offer new clients including the Mannatech Optimal Health System, which is comprised of Advanced Ambrotose glyconutritional dietary supplement; Ambrotose AO antioxidant supplement; PLUS(TM) herbal-amino acid supplement; and MannaMatrix caplets - Mannatech’s proprietary plant and whole food-based multivitamin and mineral supplement, and The MannaBears, a supplement specially designed for children.

Through this week meetings will be held in Singapore at the Grand Plaza Park Hotel to introduce new distributors to the company as well as give them a chance to meet with Mannatech corporate staff. Newly enrolled distributors will have a chance to learn about the products, ask questions, receive tips on running their business and will also receive detailed information about the compensation plan.

Wayne Badovinus, president and CEO of Mannatech spoke about the expansion into Singapore and what it means to the company. “The opening of Singapore is a great achievement for our company as we look toward continued international growth and success,” With our updated computer infrastructure, we are able to streamline international operations and simplify entry into new markets around the globe.”

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Mannatech has just announced that two of their most popular supplements, the PLUS and Ambrotose AO have been certified by NSF International showing that they have met all claims on their label with regards to the purity of the ingredients in the products.

NSF International is an independent accredited testing organization that sets guidelines for dietary supplements. The nonprofit public health certification company is dedicated to investigating labels on health products and dietary supplements to test the efficacy and safety of the ingredients. The NSF also monitors manufacturing plants and facilities to ensure that each company meet rigorous audit requirements regarding the production of supplements.

This past June, Mannatech received certifications for it Ambrotose and Advanced Ambrotose products. The most recent certification came according to the NSF/ANSI 173 Dietary Supplement Supplement Standard, which is the only National Standard for dietary supplements.

Mannatech, needless to say, is very proud of this accomplishment and the company says that it will carry the NSF certification mark on all of their product labels. “Mannatech is committed to pursuing the highest standards of product quality and science. Not only did we earn NSF certification, but we ensure all our manufacturing partners adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices, our industry’s standards for ensuring high quality products,” said Marika Berkley, vice president of global regulatory affairs and quality assurance for Mannatech. “Customers need to know that our products always meet these high standards and that they will never be compromised.”

“By obtaining certification for two additional products, Mannatech continues to demonstrate its dedication and commitment to excellence,” said Ed Wyszumiala, general manager of NSF’s dietary supplements programs.

Mannatech said that In the future they will continue to work with NSF to ensure that all of their current and future products meet the requirement to wear the NSF certification label.

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With all the news lately about alleged excessive lead levels and questions about product safety and the FDA jumping in, Mannatech took no time in announcing that several of their products have been certified by NSF International an accredited testing laboratory.

The products, Ambrotose and Advanced Ambrotose Glyconutritional Supplements have had the purity of the products tested and reviewed and determined as being pure and safe.

NSF is a public health certification organization that works to review products and certify the efficacy of statements made on the labels. NSF reviews the contents of products and tests them to make sure that all ingredients present in the supplements are listed on the label and are safe for consumption. Rather than simply testing products, the NSF also requires visits to the manufacturing facility before they were complete the certification.

After careful evaluation of the two products, NSF found that they met requirements of the NSF/ANSI 173 Dietary Supplement Standard which is the only American National Standard for dietary supplements. Mannatech will be proudly displaying the NSF seal on their supplements and will put notice of the certification in all of their consumer product information material.

“NSF certification is just one part of the extraordinary quality and purity measures Mannatech adheres to throughout its product management process,” said Marika Berkley, vice president of global regulatory affairs and quality assurance. “In addition to selecting ingredients that meet our rigorous purity standards, Mannatech ensures all its manufacturers adhere to industry-standard GMPs. We continually monitor our manufacturing partners and conduct frequent in-house and independent tests of the efficacy and purity of our products.”

This is a great accomplishment for the company, and actually for any company, especially companies that sell dietary supplements. Dietary supplements are not as stringently tested and many are sold without having to meet any kind of safety requirements. Within the MLM industry there has been so much talk lately about high lead levels, especially with Herbalife which is being sued for dangerous lead levels in products. Just to stay in business, it might soon become necessary to have products tested and certified for safety.

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Mannatech has been playing in the trademark infringement game which seems to be all the rage these days. A jury in Texas has ruled that Glycoproducts International has committed infringement of Mannatech’s patent and trademark relating to Ambrotose. In a case that has been pending since 2006, the jury found that the infringement upon Mannatech’s U.S. Patent No. 7,157,431 of Ambrotose, was willful and also ruled in favor of Mannatech on all patent validity issues. Mannatech is seeking an immediate injunction against Glucoproducts to prohibit them from selling any Ambrotose related product. Mannatech is also seeking reimbursement for legal costs.

Ambrotose is the brand name for a mixture containing certain plant sugars called glyconutrients. It is widely promoted for its health-giving properties. Mannatech is the primary seller of the product. Mannatech does over $100 million dollars in sales a year, in large part due to its use of the mixture. Ambrotose has been the cause of quite a few battles for the company as many naysayers claim that Mannatech has made false and misleading claims about the benefits of the Ambrotose.

This is finally some good news for the company which has been at the losing end of several lawsuits over the last few years. Mannatech has blamed their legal woes on declining profit and revenue.
“We are extremely pleased by these outcomes and will continue to vigorously defend our technology and cutting-edge research and development in the groundbreaking field of glyconutrients,” said Terry Persinger, president and CEO of Mannatech. “With 45 registered patents, five in the U.S. and 40 more internationally, and an additional 85 patents pending worldwide, we believe these favorable rulings reinforce our leadership position as a developer and provider of high-quality nutritional supplements.”

The verdict was a long time coming for the company. The jury heard five days of testimony before reaching their decision. Needless to say, although there are still questions about the benefits of Ambrotose, this is a huge victory for the company. Not only is this finally some good news for the company and its product line, but Mannatech is also finally on the winning end of a lawsuit. Although questions still remain about whether or not the company is making false claims about its products, Ambrotose is a huge seller for the company and this victory solidifies their position as the only retailer allowed to distribute it.

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