2010 has brought the natural products industry more media attention than it has seen in quite some time. It requires a very savvy consumer to sift through endless news articles and snippets of information, all of which are laced with media hype. For those supplement users attempting to stay abreast of current news just filtering out the facts can be a difficult and daunting task.

It is no small wonder that these are tense times for our industry. Relentless media coverage on potentially dangerous supplements and an unregulated supplement industry…this is the news our shoppers face every day! In consideration of these current news items a few questions come to mind. What can we do to help keep our current customers calm in the face of so much negative and sometimes unnerving information? How do we continue to focus potential customers who are unsure about whether or not to make an alternative choice to safeguard their health?

Informed communication is our first and best line of defense. As purveyors of this industry we do have resources available that enable us to responsibly and succinctly answer the questions that will inevitably be brought to our attention.

The NPA website houses a wealth of factual thorough material. With a calm and yet passionate voice the NPA position is clear regarding companies who choose to operate outside of the law garnering detrimental media coverage for this industry. These position papers and news releases were developed to cover everything from the true and honest facts about regulation in the supplement industry to breaking news on the efforts being made to enforce the existing laws governing our supplements. This reserve of information can be used to facilitate your response to questions or comments you might not feel confident answering without some additional research. Recently, the Natural Products Association announced a comprehensive education effort designed to guide you and your staff in understanding “the rules of the road”. This process will include development of a “tool kit” for retailers to use to train their staffs, expanded training programs including live sessions at trade shows, webinars and teleconferences; partnerships with industry media to broaden the reach of educational materials; more frequent and regular content on rules for salespeople in NPA publications and communications and the development of a dedicated web page with education and training materials to serve salespeople, retailers and customers.

While the current media attention has certainly placed this industry at the forefront of the news, it should be viewed as our opportunity to educate our public about the supplement industry. We can and should, through these difficult times, continue to demonstrate our passion for this industry while maintaining our integrity as we operate our businesses. And we can and should answer questions with factual information in a forthright and honest manner.

Your trade association is here to inform you about related business activities and what’s current in the news and to assist you in getting answers and ferreting out the truth in legislation. To that end it is imperative that we join hands and continue to encourage active membership among retailers who have not yet made the decision to join NPA and NPA Midwest, the only Natural Products Trade Association in the Midwest Region.