Harkin Keynote, Fundraiser Set for NPA Show

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) has been a well-known champion for the health food and dietary supplement industry for nearly 20 years. He is perhaps best-known as the co-sponsor, with Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), of the Dietary Supplement Health & Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), which created a new regulatory paradigm specific to the supplement industry. Since then, Sen. Harkin has continued to promote the importance of wellness and health care, and the importance of preventive nutrition.

During this years Natural Products Association (NPA) annual trade show, MarketPlace, taking place in Las Vegas June 23 to 25, Sen. Harkin will be on hand to give a keynote on the state of politics and how the natural products industry can stay educated and make a difference. John Gay, executive director of NPA, talked with INSIDER about Sen. Harkins planned visit, which will not only include his keynote address on June 25, but also his attendance at a political fundraiser on June 24.

INSIDER: What will Sen. Harkin talk about at this years MarketPlace show?
John Gay: Sen. Harkin will give one of the Super Session keynotes at MarketPlace on Saturday morning. I expect hell talk about the goings on in Washington, the continued challenges that face the industry, the wellness agenda he has and how natural products fit into that agenda. While no bills directly affecting the industry have been introduced yet, were fairly early in the Congressional session, and things havent dropped that we expect to see. Sen. Harkin also hopes to have time to walk the show floor.

INSIDER: For many industry members, political topics arent top-of-mind, particularly in an off-election year. Why should folks stay on top of these issues?
Gay: Well, we are a regulated industry. The government will always be involved in what we do and our issues never go away. We have some things that could drive us back into the headlines or into the sightlines of policy makers. For example, youve got Lazy Cakes out there claiming to be a supplement; we dont agree with that, but that doesnt mean the policymakers dont see the words supplement, and brownie, and marketed to children, and melatonin in the same story or headline. There are always things that could bring our issues back to the forefront, and there remain members of Congress who are not our friends and are looking for an opportunity to act. While this is a more favorable Congressional environment than it was last year, that is a relative thing. It is an ongoing education process in Congress, and it must be viewed as preventive work. Advocacy and government affairs arent something only done well when there is an emergency. We all must stay engaged and knowledgeable about what is going on in Washington, and that means supporting those who support usboth educationally and financially to help them stay in office.

INSIDER: On that topic, why have so many industry members agreed to co-host a fundraiser for Sen. Harkin?
Gay: It has been said money is the mothers milk of politics. So having a fundraiser for a great champion like Sen. Harkin is an important way the industry can show its support for someone who has supported us through the years and continues to support us. We are delighted to have so many industry leaders who have agreed to be co-hosts of the event. It shows broad support for Sen. Harkin and for this type of political action. In particular, Steve Mister at the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and Michael McGuffin at the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) have agreed to co-host, which demonstrates more industry unity.

INSIDER: Why should someone get involved in this fundraiser?
Gay: That question really brings everything together weve been talking about. We are a regulated industry. Government is always going to be involved in one way or another. There are circumstances that will push us to the front page or into the sightlines of policy makers in a negative light. There remain members of Congress who are not friends of the industry and would seek to overly regulate us. And standing in the way are our champions. And there arent a lot of them, so we need to make sure we support them so they continue to be in Congress helping our industry. Sen. Harkin has seniority and clout in Congress, as well as knowledge of and passion for our industryand that is irreplaceable.

For more information on the Friday night fundraiser for Sen. Harkin, contact John Gay at (202)223-0101, [email protected] .

Co-hosts of the event are: Carilyn Anderson, Jon Benninger, Kirsten Carlson, CRN PAC, Jane Drinkwalter, GNC PAC, Ed Long, Michael McGuffin, NPA PAC, Pat Sardell, Tom Sokoloff, John Venardos, Daron Watts and Jeff Wright.