NPA to host Congressional lobbying day in April

WASHINGTON The Natural Products Association plans to host its 11th annual lobbying effort, Natural Products Day, April 8, the association announced Monday.

“Natural Products Day is a fun and effective way for industry members to establish and strengthen personal relationships with members of Congress,” stated David Seckman, Natural Products Association executive director and chief executive officer. “It helps legislators stay aware of issues important to our industry and to their district, and is an essential tool in gaining support for our many important initiatives. We make it easy for anyone to participate by making appointments with legislators, providing educational reference materials and thoroughly briefing participants about the issues.”

Natural Products Day helps broaden the natural products industry’s base of political support by educating members of Congress about the important role natural products play in keeping Americans healthy, and the overwhelming public benefits of preventative care, the association stated.

This year, Natural Products Day will focus around the Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act of 2007, proposed by Senator Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, to redefine what foods are considered healthy to be served in schools. Also featured will be the association’s opposition to legislation limiting the availability of the popular dietary supplement DHEA, used to aid with aspects of aging. According to the position of the Natural Products Association, DHEA has been inappropriately classified as an anabolic steroid, despite the fact that it has no proven athletic performance-enhancing attributes that would lead to abuse.