The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), a trade association representing the herbal products industry, posted the agenda and speaker information for its industry-wide Botanical Congress, which will be held virtually this year on Monday, May 24.
 
Themed “Botanicals in the time of COVID” the one-day event will explore regulatory, supply chain, and other business-related issues directly impacting those companies and individuals doing business in the botanical/herbal and dietary supplement industries.
 
Cara Welch, PhD, acting director of the Office of Dietary Supplement Programs (ODSP) of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will address the attendees in the opening session. Welch is expected to share insights into how the agency re-adjusted its priorities during the COVID outbreak and how that re-prioritization will continue to impact the botanical industry in areas such as inspections, approvals of structure/function claims, NDI notifications, and other issues.
 
A second session, “The Current Herbal International Regulatory Environment,” also examines the impact of the COVID pandemic on the regulatory landscape, but from an international market perspective. Moderated by Chi Hee Kim, senior director, Global Government Affairs, Herbalife Nutrition, the session’s first confirmed speaker is Simon Pettman, executive director, International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations (IADSA), with an additional speaker to be announced.
 
A third session, “The Impact of COVID on the North American Traditional Healers,” will highlight the human element, specifically the threat and toll that the COVID pandemic presented for Indigenous communities who faced, and continue to face, a disproportionate risk to their well-being, especially during the crisis. Moderated by Bill Chioffi, VP, Strategic Partnerships and Business Development, Ric Scalzo Institute for Botanical Research, Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine & Health Sciences, this session features a panel including: Linda Black Elk, Catawba Nation descendant and food sovereignty coordinator, United Tribes Technical College; Alicia Cook, LPN, Master of Traditional Medicine, St. Regis Mohawk Tribe; Crystal Lee, PhD, founder/CEO of United Natives; and Jonathan Nez, president, The Navajo Nation, providing a special meaning for those with an appreciation for the historic context of medicinal plants.
 
The remaining two sessions are business-forward panels, designed to offer takeaways for the industry on handling the “new normal.” One panel will address how the botanicals industry marketplace shifted during COVID and how nimble marketers changed strategies to adapt. The other panel will detail what COVID’S disruptions revealed about the importance of investing in a sustainable and transparent supply chain that protects the people, the products, and the business.
 
“AHPA’s ninth Botanical Congress follows the most disruptive year in the Association’s almost 40-year history,” AHPA president Michael McGuffin said. “Everyone is eager to move beyond the isolation and business disruption of the COVID pandemic, so when our members asked us to focus on what the botanical industry experienced and how as a community, we can learn from and support each other, we created an exceptional event that I trust will help members shape a path forward.”
 
Registration includes on-demand availability for one year, and costs $399 for AHPA members and $525 for non-members through April 23 under the early bird registration promotion. Prices increase to $449 and $575, respectively, on April 24.
 
For questions about the AHPA Botanical Congress, including sponsorship and exhibit opportunities and promotional discounts, contact Amber Bennett, abennett@ahpa.org, or 301-588-1171, ext. 105.