AHPA attends CITES 26th Plants Committee and IADSA Annual Week meetings

• By: AHPA
• On: 06/22/2023 07:10:57
• In: AHPA News

   June 22, 2023
Jane Wilson, Director of Program Development for the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), recently represented AHPA at recent CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and IADSA (International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations) meetings. The 26^th Meeting of the CITES Plants Committee took place in Geneva, Switzerland June 5-9, 2023. The IADSA World Supplement Forum and Annual Week meetings followed on June 13-15, 2023 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
 
This year marks CITES' 50^th anniversary and five decades of the landmark convention's work to conserve wildlife across the world. Of note at the 26^th CITES Plants Committee meeting were several actions regarding plant species of interest to AHPA members, including the following:
 

• Rhodiola spp.: Following its recent inclusion in CITES Appendix II, assessment by the Plants Committee nomenclature specialist indicated a need to identify an authoritative reference of Rhodiola spp.; commonly used botanical references identify from 58 to 90 species in the genus. The nomenclature specialist will use a time stamped extract from Kew Garden's Plants of the World Online and adjudicate any differences with the species list included in the approved listing proposal.

• Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng): This species was proposed for inclusion in the CITES review of significant trade process, but was not selected. The U.S. delegation did not support the inclusion of this species.

• Boswellia spp.: The Plants Committee formed an intersessional working group for ongoing discussion of concerns related to international trade in these species. The working group will consider mandates including identification of meetings or other venues that might provide opportunities to collaborate or share information regarding harvest and management of Boswellia species, and consider a possible range State meeting to be organized by the Secretariat, subject to available funding. India continues to state their opposition to any listing of B. serrata.

 

The 27^th meeting of the CITES Plants Committee is tentatively expected to be held in July 2024, in preparation for the next CITES Conference of the Parties meeting (date to be determined).  
 
IADSA's Annual Week meetings started with the World Supplement Forum on June 13. This one-day event featured presentations from:
 

• FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius, celebrating 60 years of standard setting in food safety and quality; the global economic impact of food and nutrition;
• IADSA, marking 25 years of impact in the international dietary supplements industry;
• and a summary of the findings of IADSA's global survey of sustainability in the supplements industry.

Also included were panel discussions on building resilient regulatory frameworks for supplements and perspectives on the strategic outlook for changing mindsets on supplement use.
 
AHPA was part of the program for the IADSA Annual Week agenda on June 14, with Jane Wilson delivering a presentation on CITES and the Plants Committee activities that took place the prior week. The program also included presentations from several countries in which supplement regulations are in flux or are challenging to the industry, such as Germany, Latin America, China, South Africa, Turkey, and New Zealand. E-commerce and social media influences in the supplement industry were also explored, including a presentation by Katie Banaszewski of AHPA member NOW Foods.