Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Related-Party Transactions

v2.4.0.6
Related-Party Transactions
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011
Related-Party Transactions [Abstract]  
Related-Party Transactions

NOTE P – RELATED-PARTY TRANSACTIONS

     The Company's Founder and Chairman of the Board, Myron W. Wentz, PhD is the sole beneficial owner of the largest shareholder of the Company, Gull Holdings, Ltd. Gull Holdings, Ltd. owned 50.1% of the Company's issued and outstanding shares as of December 31, 2011. Dr. Wentz devotes much of his personal time, expertise, and resources to a number of business and professional activities outside of USANA. The most significant of these is the Sanoviv Medical Institute, which is a unique, fully integrated health and wellness center located near Rosarito, Mexico that Dr. Wentz founded in 1998. Dr. Wentz's private entity, Sanoviv S.A. DE C.V. ("Sanoviv"), contracts with Medicis, S.C. ("Medicis"), an entity that is owned and operated independently of Dr. Wentz, to conduct the operations of the Sanoviv Medical Institute. Sanoviv leases the medical building to Medicis and Medicis carries out all of the operations of the medical institute, which include employing all of the medical and healthcare professionals who provide services at the medical institute. The Medicis medical and healthcare professionals possess expertise in the fields of human health, digestive health, nutritional medicine, lifestyle medicine and other medical fields that are important to USANA.

     In 2011, Medicis performed a variety of contract research services on behalf of USANA, which included (i) short-and long-term clinical testing of nutritional products and dietary ingredients, (ii) research and development of novel product formulations for future development and production by USANA; and (iii) research and development of improvements in existing USANA product formulations. In addition to providing contract research services, Medicis provided physicians and other medical staff to speak at USANA Associate events during 2011. Finally, in 2011, Medicis performed heath assessments and physical examinations for the Company's Executives. In consideration for these services, USANA paid Medicis approximately $22 in 2009, $500 in 2010, and $360 in 2011. The Company's agreements with Medicis were approved by the Audit Committee in advance of the Company's entry into the agreements. USANA's collaboration with Medicis is terminable at will by USANA at anytime, without any continuing commitment by USANA.