I just returned from the annual symposium held by the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) in Scottsdale, Arizona. Speakers included a wide variety of experts from the FDA, Vitamin Relief, The Council of Better Business Bureaus, CRN, the General European Commission, NBTY, The Vitamin Shoppe, Natural Alternatives International, Shaklee and ABC News.
CRN President & CEO, Steve Mister, called for for CRN members to increase self-regulation of misleading advertising and prepare for implementation on adverse event report systems and manufacturing GMPs.
However, the two sessions I found most interesting were from Jeremy Haft of BChinaB and David Katz of ABC News. Mr. Haft, author of All the Tea in China: How to Buy, Sell and Make Money on the Mainland, detailed the challenges of sourcing supply in China from a first had perspective. Mr. Katz mixed science with common sense, to make an argument for a fmore sustainable dietary supplement future.
Executives from all the largest industry players were in attendance. Sponsors included Shaklee, Pharmavite, DSM, Perrigo, Kyowa Hakko, Venable, Nutrilite, Bayer, Covington & Burling, NSF, EuroFins, Miami Research Associates, SafetyCall and Cognis. CRN is virtually on par with the NBJ/Newport Summit when it comes to networking with heavy hitters in the nutrition industry.
Though the daily sessions were dense with information, the evenings were full of fun. “Casino Royale” night and the “CRN Ranch Round Up” encouraged everyone to let their hair down, and it’s hard not to chuckle when you’re trying to talk business with someone in three piece suit, cowboy hat and bandana.
For more information on next year’s event, go to www.crnusa.org
