American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) > News

Our Mission

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) is the national trade association and voice of the herbal products industry. Founded in 1982, AHPA's mission is to promote the responsible and sustainable commerce of herbal products to ensure that consumers have informed access to a wide variety of safe herbal goods. AHPA’s Vision is for high quality herbal products to be readily accessible to and broadly used by consumers.

Our Expertise

AHPA has particular expertise on the history, science, and regulation of botanicals while its work also has significant influence on non-herbal dietary supplements. Similarly, AHPA expends its resources on issues in the U.S. marketplace and in the international arena, wherever member interests are served.

Our Members

AHPA is comprised of more than 350 domestic and international companies conducting business as growers, processors, manufacturers, and marketers of herbs and herbal products. AHPA members’ herbal products are in tea, beverage, dietary supplement, sports nutrition, personal care, pet and other product categories. AHPA membership also includes individuals, companies and organizations who serve the industry, including consultants, attorneys, media, researchers, educators, and medical professionals.

Hemp industry leaders urge Farm Bill conferees to modify and support Farm Bill provision to legalize U.S. hemp farming

September 18, 2018: Provision to ban drug felons from participating in hemp production should be removed

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Leading hemp industry advocates collaborated to urge Farm Bill conferees to finalize and pass the Farm Bill to modify and support a provision that would legalize hemp farming in the U.S.

AHPA Chief Science Officer presents at Hemp and CBD Summit

September 13, 2018: Dr. Johnson urges industry to act as though it is already regulated

AHPA Chief Science Officer Holly Johnson, Ph.D., presented at the Natural Products Expo East Hemp and CBD Summit on Sept. 12 in Baltimore, Maryland. The summit was sponsored by AHPA member companies pioneering the hemp space, including CV Sciences and Charlotte’s Web by the Stanley Brothers.

AHPA requests relief for supplement and herbal industry from tariffs on imports from China

September 2018: Proposed tariffs could increase costs for consumers and cause disruptions to the marketplace

AHPA submitted comments on September 6 to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to request that a proposed 25 percent duty on Chinese imports be revised to remove from this new tariff burden numerous ingredients used in dietary supplements and other herbal products manufactured and marketed in the United States.

Guidance on California Proposition 65 for herbal products

Updated August 2018, this guidance covers heavy metals, naturally occurring substances and two processed botanicals

Updated Proposition 65 guidance informs the herbal products industry about legal liabilities related to naturally occurring substances in some natural products sold in the state of California

AHPA recognizes and thanks long-time members

Fifty-nine AHPA members celebrate 20+ Year Anniversary in 2018

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) is pleased to announce and honor the many companies that have been active or associate AHPA members for 20 years or more, including seven founding members who were in attendance at AHPA’s formative meetings in 1982 and 1983, and 52 others that have maintained continuous membership since at least 1998.

Prop 65 Safe Harbor Warning Requirement Changes Aug. 30

New requirements apply to products manufactured after Aug. 30

New regulations for California Proposition 65 (Prop 65) warning labels will go into effect on August 30, 2018 and apply to products manufactured after that date.

Nature’s Way coordinates tour of Garnay ginkgo farm for Sen. Scott staff

Farm established in 1982 now provides ginkgo leaves sold in products in 80 countries worldwide

AHPA advocates for inclusion of the Hemp Production amendment in the 2018 Farm Bill

August 7, 2018: AHPA encourages Senate and House conferees to remove unnecessary restriction in conference

AHPA strongly supports inclusion of the provisions of the Hemp Farming Act of 2018 in the Farm Bill, as included in the version passed by the Senate on June 28, 2018, and notes that similar language is not included in the House version of this legislation (H.R. 2).

California court affirms Prop 65 lead MADL at 0.5 mcg per day

Appeals Court rejects lawsuit challenging established standard for Proposition 65 warnings

On June 5, 2018, the California Court of Appeal ruled against private plaintiff Mateel Environmental Justice Foundation (Mateel) and upheld the current 0.5 microgram per day safe harbor for lead, as set in 1989 by the predecessor agency to the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). The ruling has since been finalized by the Court. Mateel had sought to force OEHHA to repeal the regulations for setting a “maximum allowable dose level” (MADL) for lead as a reproductive toxicant and to revoke the safe harbor for lead.

CRS report details challenges and opportunities for growing U.S. hemp industry

Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity

Recent market and import data for hemp products and ingredients show that the U.S. market has a highly dedicated and growing demand base, according to a recent report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS).

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