Grants to Improve the Health and Nutrition of California Consumers and Promote Competition

The deadline for Round 4 Grant Applications was November 6, 2006.
Applications are no longer being accepted.

The Vitamin Cases Consumer Settlement Fund solicited four separate rounds of grant applications from eligible nonprofit organizations and public agencies for grants to improve the health and nutrition of California consumers and to promote vigorous competition to benefit California consumers. Grants were made available as part of an antitrust settlement with vitamin manufacturers. The lawsuit alleged that the defendants fixed the prices for a variety of vitamin products including A, B, C, E and H causing consumers and businesses to pay millions of dollars more for breakfast cereals, milk, juices, bulk vitamins, vitamin tablets and capsules, dietary supplements and other products.

Under the settlement agreement, the funds are to be distributed to nonprofit organizations and/or public agencies for the purpose of improving the health and nutrition of citizens in California, advancement of nutrition, dietary or agricultural science and for furthering the purpose of the antitrust statute under which the case was brought. To date, the Vitamin Cases Consumer Settlement Fund has made 107 grants totaling over $40 million for a wide range of projects involving food delivery to the needy, antitrust enforcement and public policy, nutritional and health outreach, food quality, professional education and training and nutrition research.