GUEST POST BY DAVID MARK The Washington Post recently published an article asserting that vitamin D is shaping up to be the nutrient of the year, if not the decade.

Marketers of nutritional supplements often complain that they do not know what the FDA wants. Even after the agency sends a warning letter about misleading claims and advertising, its staff does not explain what would fall within the rules.

I received an interesting email today from a very astute reader who clearly understands how important it is to read licensing agreements.  The reader asked: Am I reading Apple's iPhone Developer agreement correctly?

Call it crowdsourcing, online rating or real-time reporting. The Web allows for immediate, detailed consumer commentary on products and services.  That feedback has extended to cell phones and reached the airline-security experience through the "Survey on the Spot" app for the iPhone.

2009 was an incredible year for the dietary supplement industry.  While the rest of American business floundered amidst the depths of a recession, the dietary supplement business thrived. 

The rules are different here in the United States. Hyde Park Holistic Center in Cincinnati recently received a warning letter from the Food & Drug Administration that read like many others having to do with nutritional supplements and the H1N1 virus.

The Feds are again looking at how companies market foods to kids. Concerned by reports on child obesity, the FTC in 2010 will take a look at what the food companies sell for kids and how those products are marketed.

Although Apple's review process for iPhone apps seems to elude most developers, some help is in sight. In addition to the FCC's ongoing investigations since Google Voice was rejected by Apple, a very useful Web site was recently created to publicize the details of such rejections.

The first paragraph in the New York Times story said it all: "The Drug Enforcement Administration has classified as controlled substances three steroids that are marketed as dietary supplements, but an antidoping official warned that new steroids have taken their place on the shelves of nutrition stores."

A dispute in Canada has brought light to an emerging privacy issue over the use of Facebook photos. Nathalie Blanchard's insurance company cut her disability benefits after their agent found photos of her on vacation through Facebook.