It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our dear colleague and friend Tony Hayes. Tony was a producer and marketer of North American wildcrafted herbs for almost 50 years. He began his career in 1973 as an herb buyer for Lowe Fur and Herb of North Wilkesboro, then in 1981 went to work for Wilcox Drug Company in Boone, North Carolina. In 2000 he and his wife Sandy started their own business, Ridge Runner Trading Company.

The July  2020 AHPA Report includes AHPA goes virtual, postal service funding request, sustainability webinar on July 22, updated CA Prop 65 guidance, revised CITES primer, FTC proposed rule for 'Made in the USA,' and more.

AHPA President Michael McGuffin sent a letter to Congressional leaders in the U.S. House and Senate to request adequate federal funding be included in a fourth COVID-19 relief package to ensure the financial viability and continued operations of the United States Postal Service (USPS).

Webinar presenters explain ways to ensure your marketing claims for herbal immune support products are substantiated, truthful and not misleading. Industry experts review several methods they’ve used to ensure their dietary supplement product claims are well substantiated, including: randomized, controlled clinical trials on a well-known elderberry product; in vitro testing to support the legitimacy of the product; and the relevance of use and training in substantiating the effectiveness of traditional Chinese herbal formulations.

Since the first week of March, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have been issuing warning letters alleging that marketers promoted a wide variety of products with claims to prevent, treat, mitigate, diagnose or cure COVID-19. AHPA has analyzed 135 COVID-19 related warning letters issued by either FDA or FTC or by the agencies jointly between March 6, 2020, and May 11, 2020, and made available in each agency’s coronavirus information center as of May 15, 2020.

Dear AHPA members and friends in the herbal community,

I am reaching out today to let you know that all AHPA activities normally held as in-person meetings will instead be produced as virtual events, webinars or teleconferences for the balance of 2020.

This free webinar provides practical information on how best to resume post-quarantine business operations while protecting your workforce. Learn what personal protective equipment and workspace adaptations should be implemented and how to manage ongoing business risks and liabilities. Additionally, hear from experts about how to be proactive and search for, and then correct, workplace conditions that could increase risk of COVID-19 infections.

Updated in May 2020, this free primer helps members and the herbal products industry understand the processes and practices that must be followed to comply with CITES requirements when importing and exporting species listed on CITES appendices

The June 2020 AHPA Report includes snapshots of global COVID-19 responses that impact the international supplement industry, FDA & FTC COVID-19 warning letters target social media and intravenous therapies, RFP for slippery elm  sustainable wild harvest study, updated Hemp-CBD Status Report, and more.

The AHPA Foundation for Education and Research on Botanicals (AHPA ERB Foundation) is issuing a request for proposals to award grant funding to eligible applicants in order to enhance and promote knowledge and understanding of sustainable harvest of slippery elm (Ulmus rubra).  The grant supports research effects of varying rates of wild slippery elm bark harvest on tree population health and recovery across multiple harvest sites in order to inform sustainable harvest and management decisions for the species. The anticipated amount of funding available for a sustainable wild slippery elm bark harvest research project is up to $10,000 annually for up to 5 years.