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McGuffin calls on industry to support all national trade associations
The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) was honored at the Nutrition Business Journal’s Newport Summit in Laguna Niguel, California, on July 20 as the recipient of the “Business Achievement Award for Efforts on Behalf of Industry” for 2004. AHPA President Michael McGuffin received the award on behalf of AHPA, encouraging all 210 of the attendees to be more involved in the national trade associations that represent the supplement industry.
“With our limited resources, AHPA operates as the ‘little trade association that could,’” McGuffin said at the award ceremony.1 “This award is therefore an incredibly satisfying acknowledgment for AHPA institutionally, and for our staff, the AHPA Board, and all AHPA members.”
McGuffin went on to say that “rather than recite a list of AHPA’s accomplishments, I want to receive this award on behalf of all three of the national trade associations that represent the dietary supplement and natural products industry. AHPA, CRN [the Council for Responsible Nutrition], and NNFA [the National Nutritional Foods Association] are all working for and supporting this industry and its businesses.”*
McGuffin provided some compelling financial statistics suggesting the relative value and efficiency of the dietary supplement industry trade associations acknowledging that the combined annual budgets of these national associations is about $8 million, including $6 million in membership dues. “If you do the arithmetic based on NBJ's estimate of $20 billion in US supplement sales, this industry is paying its national trade associations $300 in dues per million dollars of sales,” McGuffin added. He also calculated that the combined dues for membership in all three of these associations is less that one-quarter of one percent of revenues for companies with sales of more than $5 million.
“If you sell herbs or herbal products in the United States, you need to be a member of AHPA. If you are a supplier or manufacturer of vitamins, minerals, and the various other dietary supplement ingredients and products, you need to be a member of CRN. If your products are sold in the natural food channels you need to be a member of NNFA. And if your business includes all of these activities, you need to support all of us.”
Nutrition Business Journal (www.nutritionbusiness.com), a division of New Hope Natural Media, presents its Business Achievement Awards annually, based on input from the natural products industry. NBJ announced the awards in its January issue,2 and stated that AHPA had been nominated for its award “for working to promote the benefits of supplements to the public, the media, Congress and the FDA.” The article also said, “AHPA has been diligent in challenging the FDA’s position on ingredients such as bitter orange and kava kava; took the lead in getting FDA to review its AER (adverse events reporting) system; and encouraged industry to be more proactive and compliant.”
McGuffin was also cited personally, to recognize what NBJ called his contributions to “preserving DSHEA and building bridges between the herbal industry and the FDA,” and for spearheading initiatives, “including those related to AERs, Prop. 65 [in California] and captive insurance.”2
AHPA, located in Silver Spring, MD, is the national trade association and voice of the herbal supplement industry, “the only trade association devoted solely to herbal issues.” More on AHPA at www.ahpa.org.
* McGuffin did not include the Utah Natural Products Association, a Utah-based trade group, which has a significant portion of its membership from medium to large dietary supplement manufacturers and ingredient suppliers outside the state. UNPA is considered a significant and influential force in the natural products industry, with particularly in Washington, D.C.
References
1. Anon. AHPA presented with NBJ Business Achievement Award [press release]. Silver Spring, MD: American Herbal Products Assn., Jul 21, 2005.
2. Anon. Executive Review VI: NBJ’s 2004 Business Achievement & Product Merit Awards. Nutrition Business Journal. Jan 2005.
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