Nutritional Outlook named AHPA President Michael McGuffin Industry Leader as part of the publication's 2019 Best of Industry Awards. This year, McGuffin celebrated his 20th anniversary as association president.
"Under Michael's tenure—and even before that, when he served on the association’s board of trustees—AHPA has been a leading influence and guiding hand in shaping the safe, responsible, and prosperous herb commerce market that so many consumers rely on today," according to the Nutritional Outlook announcement. "With McGuffin at the lead, AHPA’s influence extends beyond the herbal community; AHPA has been promoting the interests of the entire dietary supplement industry for decades."
The Nutritional Outlook award announcement details McGuffin's nearly 45 year career in the natural products industry, including some of AHPA's major accomplishments under his leadership. The announcement also documents the significant growth of the herbal industry and AHPA in recent years.
“This really is my life’s work,” McGuffin said. “I think there is a tendency for trade associations to be thought of as only advocating for industry. That isn’t true, at least not for AHPA. We’re doing this for consumers and my fellow American citizens who want to use herbs without undue legal obstructions. That’s why I have devoted my life to advocating for ready, informed access to herbal products in a regulatory framework that protects public health and simultaneously ensures the right to make personal healthcare choices.”
One of AHPA's founders, Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council (ABC) expressed support for Nutritional Outlook's award to McGuffin.
"Michael has worked very strategically and has mastered many key areas of the herb industry, including the compelling areas of standardizing botanical nomenclature for herbs sold in the U.S.; providing guidance to companies on issues of safety labeling; exerting leadership on the intricacies of GMPs, California’s Proposition 65, adverse event reporting; and so much more," Blumenthal said.