Rebecca Wright07.17.06
In conjunction with the celebration of its 70th anniversary, the National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA) announced today that it has officially changed its name to the Natural Products Association. The new name, which was overwhelmingly approved by a recent vote of the associations membership, more accurately describes the organizations diverse membership base and positions the association to keep pace with the dynamic natural products marketplace.
Our new name not only reflects the breadth of our existing membership, but it also recognizes the associations position as the overarching trade organization for the natural products industry, said David Taylor, president of the Natural Products Association. Along with our recently adopted mission and vision statements, our name change will allow us to emphasize that we really are the big tent organization for retailers and suppliers of natural products.
To reinforce its leadership position in representing the broad spectrum of natural products, the association has launched a comprehensive re-branding effort that will be rolled out over the next several months.
Our strategic re-branding campaign will eliminate any confusion about who we are and who we represent for all our stakeholders, including members, potential members, legislators, the media and others, said Taylor. From an advocacy perspective in particular, our new name gives us a great opportunity to emphasize our broad base of support, not only from our membership, but from the millions of consumers who use natural products.
In other developments, the assocation says it will soon be opening a branch office in Beijing, China. Due to predictions that suggest dietary supplement sales will grow to more than $10 billion within the next few years in China, the Natural Products Association felt the establishment of a physical presence was necessary in order to better assist U.S. companies exporting their products to this booming marketplace.
The Natural Products Association has long recognized that a strong international presence is beneficial for our membership and the industry," said Randy Dennin, chairman of the Natural Products Association China. "We are committed to facilitating trade among nations and have a strong stake in maintaining high standards for product quality, both domestically and internationally.
Heading the newly established office is Jeff Crowther, who comes to the association with years of experience in dietary supplement trade in the China marketplace. In his position as director representative of the Natural Products Association China, Crowther will serve as a resource to members about exporting dietary supplements to China. Crowther and his office will also work to establish relationships with government and agency officials to educate them about the benefits that can accrue to both the fiscal and physical health of China with appropriately liberalized standards. The office will work closely with the Natural Products Association in the United States in organizing annual trade missions and will act as a liaison to visiting dietary supplement companies looking to do business in China.