Know Your Trade Association: U.S.-China Health Products Association

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The U.S.-China Health Products Association (USCHPA) is a U.S. non-profit 501c6 organization. The association’s primary focus is the continued development of China’s dietary supplement and nutritional ingredient industry as well as assisting its members to achieve their business endeavors in China, which is one of the most challenging markets in the world. The association works closely with the U.S. and Chinese governments as well as a long list of on the ground partners to achieve its mission. 

Who does your membership consist of? What are the qualifications for membership?

USCHPA’s members are made up of dietary supplement finished product manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and companies that provide services to the overall natural health product industry.

The association accepts members from all over the world that are focused on China’s fast developing dietary supplement and nutritional ingredient industry.

What services or benefits do you provide your members?

USCHPA offers its members a variety of benefits such as regulatory advocacy, weekly updates through the association’s newsletter “China Updates,” assistance with product registrations, trademark service, customs clearance assistance, partner search, market reports, organize conferences, “Health Weekly” newsletter and Nutrition and Health magazine gives members a marketing platform in China, sourcing, and any other assistance a member would need in the market. 

All potential and new members are told that the association can work on any issue, it just needs to be brought to the table and the USCHPA team will find a solution, so in this regard our membership benefits are difficult to put into an “all inclusive” list.   

How is your organization different than others representing the natural products industry? 

As China is a developing market with transparency issues as well as language and cultural barriers, USCHPA has to not only perform regulatory advocacy activities, but also offer a variety of business services to assist its members navigate the market. So the model differs in that it is a blend of an advocacy group and business consultancy. For example, the association is currently assisting one member with a customs clearance issue, another member with a product registration problem, and yet another with a packaging/distribution solution.

What does your organization hope to accomplish in the upcoming months?

REGULATORY REFORM

After years of USCHPA lobbying, the association is pleased to see some movement from the Chinese government to reform its dietary supplement regulations. China’s new Food Safety Law is scheduled to go into effect by the end of the year.

The association will be working to make these new regulations as transparent as possible, so that association members can formulate new market strategies.

USCHPA MAGAZINE, Nutrition and Health

The association staff and its partner China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) are working on the next edition of the association’s bilingual magazine, Nutrition and Health.

The magazine is sent out to over 180,000 readers in China and is a wonderful opportunity for members to market there products, services and events directly to China. Nutrition and Health is the only bilingual international magazine of its kind in the market.

INDUSTRY CONFERENCE

The association together with its partner CCPIT are currently planning the first annual “China International Nutrition and Health Summit” to be held in Beijing November 3-4, 2014.

The aim of the event is to for the first time bring both foreign and domestic dietary supplement and ingredient suppliers together to share information and learn about the regulatory environments of China, U.S., EU, Canada, Australia, and Israel.

In your opinion, what's your role in the natural products industry?

USCHPA is a bit different in that it operates in a foreign and very challenging business environment, so our business model has always been two-fold. First, is to promote the industry and advocate for regulations that encourage commerce and consumer access. And, second, to provide business services that enable the association’s members to gain access to the market, make informed decisions and meet the right people.