CRN Awards Industry Leaders

Science consultant John Wise, PhD; Herbalife’s Bill Frankos; and Virgo Publishing’s Jon Benninger were the 2010 recipients of the Council for Responsible Nutrition’s (CRN; Washington, DC) annual Apple Awards recognizing those who have made “considerable contributions” to the dietary supplements industry.

Wise, whose background is in biochemistry and microbiology, served as chief science officer for Natural Alternatives International from 2001 to 2009 and currently serves as a company consultant. He also formed his own company, Collegiate Sports Nutrition. He was also previously executive vice president of research and development for United Sciences of America Inc. Wise has published peer-reviewed articles on topics including immunity and nutrition and has been a presenter at more than a thousand scientific lectures and seminars.

Frankos is currently senior vice president, global product science, safety and compliance, for Herbalife Ltd. Prior to joining Herbalife in April of this year, he served as director of Dietary Supplement Programs at FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition-a position he held for nearly for years. While there, he helped implement the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, including the final rule for dietary supplement Good Manufacturing Practices and serious-adverse-events guidelines.

Benninger is director of business development for Virgo Publishing, which he joined in 1995, in charge of strategic planning and business and content development.

The awards were presented at CRN’s annual conference in Austin, TX, held September 29 to October 2.