This 140 minute course is contained within a standard CD-ROM. Requirements include a 486 or faster PC running Windows 9x, a CD-ROM player,  sound card, and speakers. Included on the disk is a copy of PowerPoint 97 Viewer, which is required to view the course content, and which must be installed in the default directory in order to properly utilize the menu-driven program. An Internet connection or a printer is useful but not necessary for this CD-ROM program.

The availability of dietary supplements for health benefits has become mainstream, and the international market for nutraceuticals has increased in recent years to the point of becoming the largest "out-of-pocket" expenditure for healthcare related items. As we enter the next millennium, issues posed to the industry in providing nutraceuticals to consumers include quality assurance, uniformity of content, product stability, bioavailability, clinical validation and safety. The industry will continue to make advances in self-regulation as well as responding to external regulatory influences.

As a forum for sound scientific research on nutraceuticals products, this symposium should reaffirm the industry's commitment to providing the public and healthcare providers with current and accurate information regarding claims, benefits and safety of nutraceuticals products.