The Council for Responsible Nutrition’s (CRN), Washington, D.C., has given its 2010 Apple Awards to Jon Benninger of Virgo Publishing, LLC, Vasilios “Bill” Frankos, PhD, of Herbalife Ltd. and formerly with FDA, and John Wise, PhD, chief science officer emeritus, Natural Alternatives International (NAI), Inc. CRN’s highest honor is given to individuals who have shown long-term dedication and who have made considerable contributions to both CRN and the dietary supplement industry.

Mr. Benninger is the director of business development at Virgo Publishing, LLC, where he is responsible for strategic planning, outreach and advocacy, content development and new business development. With 20 years in the natural products industry, he joined Virgo Publishing in 1995, and is an active member in a number of supplement industry organizations, including CRN.

Dr. Frankos currently serves as senior vice president, global product science, safety and compliance, with Herbalife Ltd. where he has worked since April 2010. Prior to joining Herbalife, he served as director, Division of Dietary Supplement Programs (DDSP) at the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), FDA. In that position, which he held for nearly four years, Dr. Frankos was charged with overseeing policy, budget, personnel and administration in addition to the full implementation of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). During his tenure, the agency published the final rule for dietary supplement current Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and implemented guidance for reporting serious adverse events related to supplements. In total, he spent more than a decade at FDA, applying his expertise in pharmacology and toxicology in a number of different positions. Prior to his most recent stint at FDA, Dr. Frankos was a principal at the ENVIRON Corporation, a consulting firm.

Dr. Wise served as chief science officer for Natural Alternatives International (NAI), Inc., from 2001 until his retirement in 2009. Currently, he consults for NAI, and recently formed his own company, Collegiate Sports Nutrition. Prior to his work with NAI, he was executive vice president, Research and Development with United Sciences of America, Inc. Dr. Wise, whose background includes biochemistry and microbiology, has authored and published in peer-reviewed journals on topics that include immunity and nutrition and he has presented at more than 1000 scientific lectures and seminars. He is an advocate for the research, design and development of effective dietary supplements.