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From Your Chairman and Your President:
In business, we often speak of a pivot as a key change from one phase to another. For CRN and the dietary supplement industry, this pivotal moment—this inflection point that we are living in—is our chance to change the future. And as Chairman of CRN’s Board, I am seeing our responsible member companies doing just that, shaped by collaborative, decisive action. CRN’s Board-driven initiatives such as supporting mandatory product listing, educating consumers through the LabelWise campaign, shaping probiotics regulation in the U.S. and globally, working to mitigate the impacts of new tariffs, improving retailer relations, streamlining certificates of free sale, and protecting the sports nutrition sector from illegal ingredients make real change in the marketplace. And, of course, CRN remains at the forefront of the discussion on CBD, calling on FDA as well as Congress to act.
We are proud of all of our members and their commitment to helping consumers achieve their wellness and vitality goals. With this annual report, we celebrate just some of the highlights of our work with you in 2019.
David Campbell Bayer Healthcare
Chairman, CRN Board of Directors
It’s gratifying to see the progress we’ve made in 2019, working together with you, our members. As we embark on the final year of our current 2018–2020 strategic plan, we continue to rely on your engagement to direct our efforts toward the goal of building a better environment to responsibly develop, manufacture and market products for better health.
More Americans than ever use our products to advance their quest for wellness—77% according to CRN’s Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements. Even as we’re working to better identify and assist those populations who are still experiencing nutrient gaps, it’s clear that the future belongs to health optimization—and CRN is right there, pivoting to vitality. The dietary supplement industry is central to the self-care movement, and emerging science points to more breakthroughs ahead.
In addition to our existing agenda, 2019 brought challenges for a new ingredient—hemp-derived CBD—and CRN answered by welcoming companies that market the ingredient and implementing a multifaceted effort to bring a resolution to the legal status of CBD. We’re engaging policymakers in FDA, Congress, industry, consumer groups and medical organizations to create a path forward. As we do, we’ll continue to work all of our strategic initiatives with no less vigor or enthusiasm.
Steve Mister
President & CEO, CRN
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