James S. (Jim) Turner, an attorney, author, and health activist passed away at the age of 81 in late January.

Turner was known in the industry for the advocacy role he played as the founder and chairman of Citizens for Health since 1992, a nonprofit organization which represented the interests of health and wellness consumers and the industry in a variety of regulatory matters concerning foods, drugs, health, environmental issues, and product safety. Among other key issues, the organization focuses on advocating for organic foods free of pesticides and GMOs, the removal of toxic chemicals from bottles, cans, and children’s toys, expanding access to dietary supplements, acupuncture, naturopathy, and more.
 
Turner also served as special counsel to the Senate Select Committee on food, nutrition, and health, and to the Senate Government Operations Subcommittee on government research. From 1994 to 1996, Turner was the lead attorney in a successful petition to FDA to have acupuncture needles reclassified to allow their importation and use by acupuncturists.
 
As an author, Turner published The Chemical Feast at the age of 30, which called attention to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s handling and regulation of food additives. The book relied upon investigations and raids conducted by Ralph Nader’s Study Groups of 1969 which made public the agency’s workings under Turner’s direction.

For the last decade and longer, Turner was focused on advocating for political unity, with books such as Voice of the People: The Transpartisan Imperative in American Life, which he co-authored in 2008 as a call to addressing shared interests of American Citizens.
 
“Jim was a force to be reckoned with in the health freedom community for over half a century,” Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association, said. “He would commonly greet me by asking, ‘Are we winning?’ and it is certain that all who care about freedom of choice in healthcare have won a lot over the years through Jim’s leadership and wisdom, and his advocacy for activism and cooperation.”