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USANA Health Sciences president, Dave Wentz has just been elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Direct Selling Association. The announcement was made last Monday during the DSA’s Annual meeting which took place in Phoenix, AZ.

Wentz has been an active member of the DSA over the years and has served the organization in many capacities, including Chairman of the DSA Education Foundation, Chairman of the 2008 Annual meeting, and served as Vice Chairman from 2006-2008

The Direct Selling Association is a national trade organization that monitors and upholds the standards of the industry. The DSA has over 200 member companies who sell products and provide services which are all sold through direct sales channels, directly to consumers.

We think this is a great move by the DSA - although not sure why Wentz is taking on this role at this time when he is trying to take his company private and the nuisance of Minkow driving his company nuts. While we are not sure of what day-to-day operational role Wentz will fill, it does help legitimize the DSA a bit more by having him serve as Chairman.

Wentz’s term as chairman will last one year, and he is looking forward to assuming the role and helping the DSA further their goals within the industry. “I am excited to serve an organization that plays such an important role in maintaining the strength and principles of the direct selling industry,” Wentz said. “The DSA is made up of an incredible array of companies offering excellent products and services to millions of independent distributors and customers throughout the United States. I look forward to serving the DSA and furthering its role in guiding our great industry.”

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USANA is going to receive two Best of State awards from of course, the State of Utah, for best dietary supplements and best personal skin care. This is USANA’s fifth year as the winner for its nutritional line and the second consecutive year that the company’s skin care line, Sense, has been awarded with the honor.

The Best of State awards were created in 2003 to honor exceptional company’s and people in the state that have excelled in business and have been innovators in their fields. The judges are comprised of 100 distinguished business people who examine companies and critique among other things, business methods, processes, creativity, and each company’s contributions to the state and people of Utah.

USANA has set itself apart from its competition in part by voluntarily using the pharmaceutical Good Manufacturing Practices model for its quality assurance program. The program ensures that all nutritional supplements are treated with the same precision and care, that pharmaceutical companies treat their products with. Many of the company’s products have also received NSF certification. The NSF is a 50 year old public health and safety company that develops national health and public safety standards. The Sense skin care line was honored for its nourishing natural ingredients as well as their exclusive patent pending formulas.

“We have always strived to set the benchmark for quality and safety within our industry,” said USANA President Dave Wentz. “It is gratifying to once again be independently recognized for our exceptional products, especially in a state with more than 100 dietary supplement companies.”

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USANA Health Sciences, Inc.has just launched a new product, the Nutreo healthy chocolate bar. The new healthy snack which comes in a double-chocolate flavor is intended for chocolate lovers who don’t want to compromise their health.

Each of the bars contains 10 grams of protein, two grams of fiver. The bars have a combination of both whey and soy protein and with all natural flavors and sweeteners, the bar offers sustainable energy while maintaining a low glycemic score of 44. Nutreo is a great snack between meals with only 140 calories and no trans fat

“Our health-conscious customers have come to expect only healthy and balanced products from USANA, but they also demand great taste,” USANA President Dave Wentz explained. “With Nutreo, we developed a product that both chocolate fanatics and health enthusiasts can love.”

USANA just recently launched the Nutreo bar at their regional distributor convention April 25th in Orlando. The bar will be offered in the United States, Canada, Mexico the UK and the Netherlands.

USANA offers a wide variety of health and nutrition products, including other snack bars, but this is the first chocolate bar. I’ve tried healthy chocolate bars from other companies, and I’ve really liked what I’ve tried. I’m excited to try the USANA chocolate bar to see if it can calm my chocoholic cravings.

As of now, there doesn’t seem to be any info on the website about the Nutreo bars (which is a bit odd considering they made the announcement about it). The bar is still fairly new and hopefully the site will be updated soon and give us some more info on the product. Dark Chocolate has been in the news a lot lately, with scientists finding that it contains many health benefits, both emotional and physical. Chocolate is now health food!!

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USANA Health Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: USNA), a worldwide leader in science-based nutritional supplements, today announced it has signed a two-year sponsorship agreement to be the official supplement supplier of nationally ranked USA Bobsled Team Radcliff.

“I’ve done a lot of research on a variety of supplements and found the absorption rate of USANA’s products into the system is unmatched,” said Ivan Radcliff, 34, a World Cup silver medalist and a member of five world championship teams. “That’s what helped me earn a fourth-place finish at the final race of the season in Lake Placid, N.Y.”

USA Bobsled Team Radcliff, currently ranked fourth nationally, features Radcliff and Jim Carriel, and will include two athletes yet to be selected. USANA’s agreement with the team extends through the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

“I’m very pleased to be associated with such a great company and I look forward to the future, including Vancouver,” said Radcliff, who trains in Park City, Utah, and works for the Park City Fire District. “I’ve known about USANA for years because of its association with the US Speedskating Team and appreciate the way the company stands behind its athletes.”

USANA continues to expand their presence as a nutritional supplement among many of the world’s premier winter athletes, including the US Speedskating Team, USA Luge and Speed Skating Canada. Six USANA products recently received certification through NSF International’s Certified for Sport(TM) program.

“USANA is proud to associate itself with the world’s greatest athletes and is thrilled to sponsor USA Bobsled Team Radcliff as it prepares for the Vancouver Winter Games,” USANA President Dave Wentz said. “We recognize that proper nutrition is vital to athletic success, which is why we’re pleased to provide these world-class athletes with the highest quality nutritional supplements.”

This is a good move by USANA to expand the brand presence and take more of a leadership position as it relates to athletes. The news comes at a time when the company reported less than stellar earnings this week but moves like this are encouraging.

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