by Judy Sharpe

I'll come clean right away and admit I am a little (a lot!) biased when discussing the value of trade shows. After all, I have spent the last 21 years of my career organizing and marketing some of the largest trade shows in Canada. But to be fair, the reason I have stayed with this industry is because of its value to both the exhibitor and the attendee. And, at the end of the day, we all want to feel like we are adding value...

NHP regulations proving to be “unmitigated disaster”

by Shawn Buckley

The NHP regulations are an unmitigated disaster for the industry.   In the 1990’s, when the industry and consumers revolted against Health Canada enforcement actions, no one predicted that the industry would be manoeuvred into voluntarily removing far more products than Health Canada enforcement actions ever could. Yet that is what is happening. Indeed, it is the only logical consequence of the regulations....

Congratulations to George Chow on the 20th anniversary of his store, Peaches & Green, located in mid-town Toronto. "I have enjoyed every moment at Peaches & Green in the 20 years," says George. "The staff and customers have made the experience very enjoyable. The feelings of contributions made to others is meaningful. I've always had a strong belief in the industry and enjoyed being a part of that growth. It has allowed me to be who I am."

George points to several reasons the store has been able to thrive while being surrounded by all types of competition. "To be competitive means you have to be committed to your beliefs and core values in life and apply them to your business. These include being fair and trusting, offering value and growth,sticking to a plan, building strong two-way relationships with select vendors, staying informed and keeping up with education and hiring the best staff possible and treating them how you would want to be treated."

Over the years, George says there have been too many people who have helped along the way, but he did single out some. "In the beginning, Norm Danniels of Body Plus and Stewart Brown of Genuine Health gave me great guidance and support in so many ways. Then, Dean Yachison of Vita Health opened the doors for me to meet some of the most inspiring people in the industry, the likes of Brock Elliott, Bill Gall and John Holtmann to name a few. Many life lessons also came from customers. And being a member of the Health First Network has contributed in too many ways to mention."

When asked if he thought this was a long-term thing when he began, George answered with, "At no time did I think I would be doing this for 20 years. Now, it feels so right. I can't imagine not doing this." •

Industry leaders join forces to give youth forum to create sustainability projects

A number of industry members have banded together to create Youth for Sustainability (Y4S), a project to encourage and support young people via a contest to develop their sustainability ideas. The group – called The Spiral Table – is made up of Charles Chang, founder and president, Sequel; Bruce Martin, general manager, Community Natural Foods; Stewart Brown, founder and CEO, Genuine Health; Ian Walker, founder and CEO, Left Coast Naturals; Randy Whitteker, general manager, ONFC; Rob Sinclair, founder and chief collaboration officer, Conscious Brands and Miriam Karell, founding sustainability strategist, Three Point Vision.

Y4S is looking for ideas that address a specific need for young people, create an impact beyond one community and reduce carbon consumption through education which, in turn, changes behaviour. Young people can win cash funding between $1,000 and $10,000 for their sustainability project. The contest is open to youth (or people involved with youth).

For more information on Y4S, please go to www.youthforsustainability.com •

The Good Health Mart has purchased six Healthy's and Planet Organic Living stores in the greater Toronto area for an undisclosed amount. The deal was completed March 17. The stores are located in Burlington, Brampton, Milton, Mississauga, Guelph and Toronto.

Nordic Naturals received a 2010 Exporter of the Year award from ThinkGlobal Inc., publisher of Commercial News USA, the official export promotion magazine of the U.S. Commerce Department.

The efficacy of PGX has been the subject of over a dozen human clinical studies. A published human tolerance study conducted on 60 subjects showed PGX to be a safe and effective product under the test conditions (approved by French health authorities), and a published genotoxicity study further proves the safety of PGX. The studies were conducted in Australia, Canada and France, on hundreds of subjects over numerous weeks.  For more information and to read the abstracts from these four studies, visit naturalfactors.com •

By Delia Carnide

Since they first opened Rainbow Natural Foods in Ottawa, ON 30 years ago, Janet and Michael Kaplan have been guided by the concepts of environmental sustainability and social responsibility.  They started the “bring your own bag” initiative long before it became fashionable and trendy, says Janet.