Reliv Partners With Soy Labs, MO Plant Science Center

CHESTERFIELD, Mo.Reliv International Inc., Soy Labs LLC and the Missouri Plant Science Center entered into a joint research and development partnership that will give Reliv greater access to soy and plant biotechnology research. Through the Missouri Plant Science Center, Reliv will have access to top biotech researchers throughout the University of Missouri system. Soy Labs offers Reliv collaboration opportunities with other research institutions, including the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Louisville and the University of California campuses in Berkeley and Davis.

While it may take some time for those relationships to result in new supplement ingredients, Soy Labs potentially offers Reliv more immediate possibilities. Soy Labs has already produced breakthroughs in soy ingredients that Reliv will consider for use in new products," said Carl W. Hastings, Relivs chief scientific officer. Hastings was elected as a member of the Council for Responsible Nutritions (CRN) board of directors in 2009.

Soy Labs will benefit also. This partnership offers us a ready-made market for new ingredients we develop with Reliv, and opens a new sales channel for our existing ingredients," said Ryan Schmidt, president of Soy Labs. This is a first step toward the Missouri Plant Science Centers goal to strengthen the states biotechnology industry, create jobs and improve Missouris global economic competitiveness."

Reliv makes nutritional supplements that promote optimal health; Soy Labs focuses on delivering high-quality soy ingredients to the health supplement formulators and manufacturers; and the Missouri Plant Science Center is a joint venture of the Missouri Technology Corp., the University of Missouri and the city of Mexico, MO, where Soy Labs is also based.