Original subtitles

[Richard Sheffield] Join us, Tomorrow's World Today.

As we journey through the worlds of inspiration,

creation, innovation and production.

To find the ideas and technologies

that are shaping our future.

On this episode, we visit the world of innovation,

to explore, how humans can get more nutrient absorption.

Discover how technologies inspired by nature

are benefiting the supplements we take today.

From Inventionland world headquarters,

here's your host George Davison.

No matter how well you take care of yourself,

no matter your workout regimen,

you simply can't turn back the clock

let alone stop it.

The simple fact is

we're all getting older every single day,

but there are things that you can do

to live a life that's healthier.

There are scientists inventing all sorts of new formulas

for vitamins.

They're also utilizing time-tested herbal traditions.

These new formulas are giving us,

well, a more natural wellness.

When you hear the word fermentation

you're probably thinking beer,

but did you know, that vitamins and minerals

can also be fermented.

It was discovered that when they are,

they can also help to breakdown the key nutrients

and then combine them with probiotics

and whole foods, so that body can absorb

all that goodness quicker.

Fermented multivitamins

are unlocking the power within.

So, I'd like to find out more about the technology

the processes and the promise

of these nutrients and Vitamins.

I'm sending Darieth, to Vermont

to report back on what she finds.

[Darieth Chisolm] Hey, George, I'm here in this beautiful spot in Vermont,

nestled just above the green mountains

surrounded by the finest that nature has to offer.

And it's the natural spot to begin to learn about

the story of a company that has been a true pioneer

in the field of dietary supplements

and one the very first to combine herbs,

food and nutrients to promote natural wellness.

The company I'm talking about is called New Chapter,

and it's roots go back to 1982.

So, follow me as we discover,

how supplement are made and used.

[instrumental music playing]

I'm really excited to learn the whole story behind New Chapter.

Starting from the very beginning

and more importantly, what the mission is behind this company

and how it has grown over the past nearly four decades.

This is an amazing facility,

just as beautiful as the countryside surrounding it.

But I know, there's a whole lot more

to this place than just what meets the eye.

I wanna find out all about the products

that have been created and developed here.

And for that I'm meeting with Charlotte Traas,

who will give me more on the back story

and where they grew the very first herbs.

Hi, Charlotte.

Hi, Darieth welcome to Vermont

[Darieth] Oh thank you, I'm ready to learn more.

[Charlotte] Well New Chapter was found in 1982,

and we are known for being leaders

in innovation within the supplement industry.

We were one of the first companies

to ferment multi-vitamins

made with organic ingredients as well as organic herbals.

And when you ferment them,

they actually work differently,

you know they're formulated for absorption.

[Darieth] So, let's talk a little bit about some of the first

herbs and ingredients that you used.

[Charlotte] Sure, so New Chapter sources

from all over the world where things grow best,

like turmeric from India

or elderberry, from small family farms in Austria.

And then we also ferment those ingredients

and include them into our multivitamins.

[Darieth] With all this sourcing you're doing from around the world,

you do a lot,

something tells me you don't do it alone,

tell me about some of your partners.

[Charlotte] No, we have many quality partners that we work with,

one that really stands out is the Rodale Institute.

The Rodale Institute is known for being leaders

in regenerative agriculture.

Why don't we go in and take a look?

[Darieth] Yeah.

You know, Charlotte I really love

coming to co-ops and going to farmers markets.

It's so great to see such beautiful

fruits and vegetables.

But I'm curious, why is it that we can't really

get all of the nutrients that we need

out of all of these gorgeous fruits and vegetables?

[Charlotte] Well you can, but the truth is, most people don't.

Unfortunately, our fruit is lot less nutrient dense now

than it was in the 1970s.

In fact, you'd have to eat

eight oranges today to get the same nutrition

that you would've gotten out of one orange, in the 1970.

[Darieth] Really, is that because of soil turnover?

[Charlotte] Yes, and that's why it is so important

to take a multivitamin.

It's really like nutritional insurance.

But, we also partner with really important situations

like the Rodale Institute

and they're really helpful at putting

nutrients back in to the soil,

to make more nutritious food.

In fact, they've actually setup a tour for you

of the Rodale Institute.

It's in Pennsylvania,

so, it's about a five hour drive.

Okay, well, we are used to driving and travelling.

So, I'll head over there, but I'll be back,

'cause I have more questions for you.

[Charlotte] Well, have a safe trip and enjoy New England.

[Darieth] Okay, I will, thanks.

[Darieth] Well, I've made it here

to the Rodale Institute, to learn more about,

regenerative organic agriculture

and how they grow and compare conventional

versus organic crop.

So, let's check in with Dr. Drew Smith.

-Hi, Drew, -Hi, Darieth, how are you?

- Good to see you. - Oh, good to see you.

So tell me a little more about the work, that you do here.

[Drew] Well, Rodale Institute is the birthplace

of Regenerative organic agricultures.

So, we produce organic crops.

We also do research, education and outreach

about organic agriculture.

[Darieth] But let's talk specifically about the difference

between conventional and organic growing and why you do this research?

[Drew] Yeah, we have, what we call the farming systems trial,

now in its 40th year and it's a side-by-side comparison,

of organic and conventional practices.

Conventional meaning the standard

chemical approach to agriculture.

[Darieth] So, how important is this for someone who's

maybe trying to choose between

conventional versus organic foods and ingredients?

[Drew] We think it's vital.

We have seen, that over the last 70 years,

there has been a decline in the nutritional quality of our food

and at the same time, our soils have degraded.

So, we have demonstrated in our farming systems trial

and other research projects,

we can improve soil health

and we can produce crops and yields that are comparable

to the conventional system.

And our goal was to demonstrate

that as you improve soil health,

you can improve the nutritional quality of food

and ultimately human health.

So, I'd love to show you

-around the farm, -Yeah.

[Drew] Why don't we take a look?

[Andrew] We're on our way to the vegetable systems trial,

but I wanted to show you an example

of the research that we do here.

Here we have corn growing to the right

using our standard

organic practices using tillage,

where we've demonstrated, that we can produce yields

comparable to the conventional system.

But right next to it,

we have a no-till system,

where we, we not use tillage.

And we... developed the system without the use of herbicides

to grow no-till corn and other crops.

And what we will be able to show

over a long period of time

is that we can have yields, in corn and other crops

that are comparable to our standard organic system

without the use of tillage.

And this is an example of the kind of systems that we

are working on here,

that are effective, efficient

- and regenerative. - Hmm.

[Drew] So, Darieth, we're now in the middle

of the vegetable systems trial,

where we are growing organic vegetables

and here we have organic uh, vegetable plots

and just 30 feet away,

we are growing conventional vegetable plots.

And we're comparing soil health

as well as nutritional quality

of the fruits and vegetables grown there.

We're specifically, growing root crops

like potatoes, which is the most

consumed vegetable in the world.

Uh, fruit crops like butternut squash

as well as leafy greens.

[Darieth] How do you research or measure the nutritional density?

[Drew] Well, after we harvest the crops,

we process them in the lab,

and then we measure in the nutrients.

And these are vitamins,

minerals, amino acids, proteins

as well as bioactive compounds.

Such as Lycopene, Beta-carotene

and anthocyanin

which we're now learning are critically important for human health.

[Darieth] And how does all of this relate to your relationship

with New Chapter?

[Drew] Well, New Chapter's a philanthropic partner

that is specifically funding the vegetable systems trial.

And without philanthropic partnerships,

uh, we really couldn't run these trials.

[Darieth] I'm heading back to Vermont

to take another look at their process.

Understanding the critical role

that regenerative organic agriculture plays

in the company's mission.

[Charlotte] When you smell this kimchi,

what do you smell?

[man] Ooh, nasty.

[Charlotte] That's the power of fermentation in action.

When you think of fermentation,

what's one of the first things that comes to your mind?

- [man] Beer. - [Charlotte laughs]

[inhales] Yes.

But the cool part is, is that

fermentation actually transforms foods.

It starts with simple things, like cabbage

and turns it into kimchi

or milk and transforms into yoghurt.

You would never give a 6-month-old baby milk, would you?

But yoghurt is so gentle on the stomach,

thanks to fermentation.

And it's actually one of the first foods

that doctors recommend that you give a baby.

[Darieth] And how is fermentation used in your products?

[Charlotte] It's so cool.

We start with a Saccharomyces cerevisiae

which is a fancy name for brewer's yeast, right?

And we create a broth,

and we feed the Saccharomyces, the nutrients.

It's like, vitamin A, vitamin C,

so that it actually incorporates in to

the cell structure of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae,

[Darieth] And what about probiotics?

Yes, a lot of fermented foods are probiotic rich

and that's why we add probiotics

into our fermentation process.

Do, multivitamins help with nutrient deficiencies?

[Charlotte] Absolutely,

multivitamins are a lot like nutritional insurance.

Many adults are vitamin D3 deficient, right?

And multivitamins help cover your bases,

especially during the winter,

when you're probably not getting enough sunlight.

[Darieth] And what about your other products?

[Charlotte] We have many other products that incorporate

fermented nutrients like,

our Bone Strength Take Care has fermented D3 in it,

or we make a fermented turmeric product as well.

- [Darieth] And fish oils? - [Charlotte] Absolutely.

Let's wrap up here and I'll show you our sustainable fish oil.

[Darieth] We are here along the water in New England

and that brings me to this question about fish oil

and why it's important to take fish oil?

[Charlotte] Well, your body needs fats

to function properly, especially your brain

which is why you should have

omega's to fulfill healthy fats

'cause, you know, fats really got a bad rep

that they were all bad, but they're not.

And that's why we make our Wholemega,

which is wild Alaskan Salmon Oil.

[Darieth] Why do you go to Alaska to source it?

[Charlotte] Because our oceans are very fragile,

and the wild Alaskan salmon is sustainable.

What happens is, is that

the fillets go to your seafood counter

and we use the trim or what's left over

to press and make Wholemega.

[Darieth] There are lot of fish oils out here and a lot of choices

but how do you know that you're choosing the right one

and it's actually doing

what it's supposed to be doing?

[Charlotte] Wholemega was clinically tested and shown to reduce

triglyceride levels by 8.5%, in just two weeks.

That's amazing.

Hey, Charlotte welcome to

Phipps Conservatory, in Pittsburgh.

Thanks' so much. I've never been here before, it's amazing.

It is amazing, it's so great to see you again.

It's so good to see you too.

Why don't we take a walk and check it out?

Sound's great.

So Charlotte, I would assume that most people

worry that they're actually getting the ingredients

that are listed on the bottle.

How do they know?

Well, they don't.

Adulteration which is when the ingredient is something

different than it says on the side of the bottle

happens more often than it should.

At best, it means you'll get a product that doesn't work.

At worse,

it could be down right dangerous.

Like when it was found that they were including peanut skin

in some grape seed extract products.

Really, how does your company ensure it's...

New Chapter partners with cutting edge third party labs

like Alkemists, to ensure plant identity.

We call it giving our botanicals a little TLC.

- TLC? - HPTLC.

So, what is that?

It's High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography.

It's a great way to identify plants and botanicals.

- So, tell me more. - Sure

High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography

is a great plant identity test.

It measures different phytochemicals within the plant

against world class samples,

to make sure a plant is what it says it is.

So, does every supplemental company do this?

No, that's what makes New Chapter special and unique.

We really try to go the extra mile

to ensure quality for our customers.

[Elan M. Sudberg] Alkemists labs and New Chapter

have been partnering for over a decade.

At Alkemists Labs, we help our clients be the botanical best,

by first making sure they have the correct starting ingredients.

What makes HPTLC special

is that it tells the clearest and most unarguable

story about a plant's identity,

by matching phytochemical fingerprints

of the test sample to the chemical finger prints

of a control sample.

I think the consumers feel trust.

I think they feel like,

they're proud of their purchase,

when they look at a brand that shows

the whole quality story

and not just use of proprietary methods.

Or stands behind confidentiality.

[Darieth] I've made it here to the board room at New Chapter

and I'm joined with the general manager Blaine Streisand.

Blaine, let's get started talking a little bit about

National Safety Foundation, who are they?

[Blaine] So the NSF is a third party organization,

who has been around since 1944.

There focus is on, uh,

certifying that all products meet public health

and safety standards.

We do extensive partnering with them,

uh, mostly around ethical and sustainable sourcing.

[Darieth] So, you also work with them on an assessment tool,

tell me a little more about that and how that works.

Yeah, they've helped us develop an ethical sourcing assessment tool.

To make sure that each and every supplier

abides by a standard

and a threshold that is essential to meeting

New Chapter's high quality standards.

Whether it be sustainable sourcing,

whether it be high quality ingredients

whether it be paying farmers for wages,

whatever it may be,

this is a foundational platform

that New Chapter is built off of

to ensure that every single product

that we deliver to the market

is consistent,

high quality and efficacious for the end user.

[Darieth] So, it sounds to me like they are really important

to you meeting the responsibility

to your end consumer.

[Blaine] That's correct, not only do they help us

partner with suppliers who provide us

these highest quality ingredients

for our products today,

but we also work with them very diligently

on how to find new suppliers for the future.

[Darieth] We are under an incredible

amount of stress these days and our nutrition is challenged.

Why is supplementation is so important

now and in the future?

[Blaine] We need to focus on eating good foods

and also supplementing them,

where we're nutritionally deficient.

And it's important for the...

for us in the future, to make sure

that we're working with manufacturers and suppliers,

who are focused on ethically sourcing,

sustainability and regenerative farming

to improve the overall nutritional outtake of food

and also supplementation.

[Darieth] You know, I generally take something back

for George, and so is there something

that you might recommend?

[Blaine] Yeah, there is one product that I suggest,

to, to George, one of our multivitamins.

It's a Man's 55+,

uh, multivitamin and I'd encourage him to take this.

He needs it and I'm sure he'll use it.

- [Darieth] So, thank you so much. - Wish him the best.

[Darieth] Thanks.

[Blaine] Our mission is to

raise the bar on health and wellness

for people on planet.

And we're gonna continue to do that.

The question is how much more do we do

and how much further do we push?

And the key will be building, uh,

principles and pushing people around us,

to continue to keep up the pace that, that we are.

If we stay true to our principles,

we will have done a very good job.

Of course, no one is going to look

like they do in 25 to 30 years.

The world is evolving in incredibly rapid pace.

Uh, but we have, what I believe,

is a foundational mission,

that I think should be part of who we are

for the best of the future of the brand.

Charlotte, here's George.

- Thank you. - You're welcome.

- Hi, Charlotte. - [Charlotte] Hi.

- Welcome. - [Charlotte] Thank you.

Well, I hope you don't mind, I set the table for us.

Looks great.

And I went in on the New Chapter purple today.

I like your style.

Thank you.

Well, please have a seat.

Thank you

Well, I was hoping

you could talk a little bit about the supplement world.

I mean, I find this interesting,

you know, this industry has found a way to

blend science and nature together.

And, uh,

I know you're an expert in that area,

can you talk with me about it?

Absolutely, I think it's a great definition

of what we do at New Chapter.

- Connecting science, with nature. - [George] Hmm.

But it's also what makes us unique.

You know, we go to the ends of the Earth,

to find the best ingredients that we can.

And we try to source them sustainably whenever possible,

Well let's talk about sustainability.

In your world why is that so important Charlotte?

[Charlotte] Well, sustainability really should be

at the heart of everything we do.

You know, our Earth's resources

- are finite. - Hmm.

And so, we have to protect them to ensure

that our industry keeps going.

And if I was to ask you

well, you know, what are the two most important,

uh, features to think about what would be they be?

[Charlotte] Definitely, sustainability

and quality.

Well, I tell you that consumer trust

is hard to earn isn't it?

- [Charlotte] Absolutely. - Mm-hmm.

You know, trust is really key. And how we build that

- is with transparency. - Hmm.

Today, I brought an HPTLC, that stands for

High Performance Thin Layer chromatography.

Aka, it's a plant identity test.

- All right. - And basically what it shows

is that New Chapter's ginger

matches up with a world class botanical sample of ginger.

And that way we know that our ginger is

not only phytonutrient rich,

but also from an identity angle

so that you know, that we're giving you authentic ginger.

What a nice find.

- Very authentic. - Absolutely.

It's how we partner with Alkemists Labs.

- Yes. - And they get it,

it's just that extra step we take in quality,

and we deliver that to our customers.

We think of it as wellness well done.

There you go. Well, thanks for coming in.

Thank you, I also brought you a couple gifts.

This is our Ginger Force, it's made with

regeneratively farmed supercritical ginger.

[George] Wow, thank you.

This is a multivitamin.

[George] Hey it says 55 +, on here is that for me.

Am I 50 yet, I don't know.

- Thanks Charlotte. - Thanks George.