Today! Join experts from ABC, GNC, Herbalist & Alchemist & Nature’s Way for the NIU Botanicals Forum

 The sector continues to post strong growth despite scrutiny from Attorneys General and reports in the media. Sourcing, testing, sustainability, adulteration, transparency and communicating the benefits are just some of the big issues facing the herbal & botanicals sector.

The NutraIngredients-USA Botanicals Forum​​ will be held today, September 29 at 11:30 AM Eastern time, and brings  together world-class experts and market leading brands for a fertile discussion about the sector’s challenges and opportunities, including:

Beth Lambert - CEO, Herbalist & Alchemist​

A Harvard Business School graduate, Beth built a very successful Wall Street career, which she left to pursue her interest in environmentally based businesses. For years she had made money for clients whose products were manufactured without consideration for sustainability or the environment, then she met some environmental pioneers in the Permaculture movement.

In the late 1980s, she resolved that the rest of her life would be dedicated to making products that were healthy, “closer to the earth” and sustainable. She was soon running a Permaculture publishing company, a community supported farm, and teaching at Rutgers University. One of her farming partners, who was enrolled David Winston’s two year herbal studies program, introduced her to David, who was looking for some business advice on his herbal products company. And after reviewing the business, she joined Herbalist & Alchemist as his business partner and CEO.

Mark Blumenthal - Executive Director, American Botanical Council​

Mark is the Founder and Executive Director of the American Botanical Council (ABC), and the Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of HerbalGram. For six years he was an Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin, College of Pharmacy, teaching a course on herbal products in today’s pharmacy.

Mark is also the senior editor of The ABC Clinical Guide to Herbs, a reference book and former continuing education module, and coauthor of ABC’s forthcoming reference book on solvents used in botanical extracts. He is also the Director of the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program, an international consortium of industry, analytical laboratories, nonprofit research societies, trade associations et al. that are dedicated to educating industry about the problems associated with accidental and intentional adulteration of botanical raw materials, extracts, and essential oils.

Mark has appeared on over 600 radio and television shows and has written over 700 articles, reviews and book chapters for many major publications. He has been a leader in the concern for more rational regulations of herbal and natural product manufacturing, and education on plant-based medicines for over 40 years.

Travis Borchardt – VP of Regulatory Affairs & QA/QC, Nature’s Way Brands​

Travis has spent 16 years at Nature’s Way Brands setting the standards for botanical dietary supplement regulatory affairs, quality assurance, quality control and good manufacturing practice.  Nature’s Way was the first botanical dietary supplement manufacturer to implement a comprehensive orthogonal botanical ID program combining macroscopic ID of whole plant material with DNA testing and pharmacopoeia based chemistry methods.

Travis is a current board member of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), the American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists (AAHP), serves on the Regulatory Affairs committee at the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and is a member of the Natural Product’s Association (NPA) Committee for Product and Label Integrity. 

Guru Ramanathan PhD, MBA - Chief Innovation Officer, General Nutrition Corporation (GNC)​

Guru’s industry experience spans Clinical care, Pharma, Consumer health, Animal health and the Retail sectors.   Prior to his current appointment with GNC, Guru was a Senior Director for Royal Numico’s US subsidiaries. Before this he was Medical Director for the US subsidiary of Scotia Pharmaceuticals. He has also held various industry consulting, research and teaching appointments in India and the US.

Guru is a clinician by discipline specialized in cranio-facial growth and development with 31 years of clinical and research experience both within and outside the US.  He has managed and conducted over 100 clinical studies, made more than 30 international scientific presentations, industry-sponsored seminars and workshops at various venues, leading to several publications in peer reviewed journals and consumer magazines. 

The event will be moderated by Stephen Daniells, PhD, Senior Editor of NutraIngredients-USA.

The event is supported by:

Sabinsa​: ​A manufacturer, supplier and marketer of herbal extracts, cosmeceuticals, minerals, dietary supplements and specialty fine chemicals for the nutritional, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food industries. For the past 25 years, Sabinsa has brought to market more than 100 standardized botanical extracts, several with clinical studies in conjunction with prestigious institutions in support of these products. 

Alkemist Labs​​: An ISO 17025 accredited contract testing laboratory specializing in plant authentication, botanical ingredient identification and quantitative analytical services to the Food & Beverage, Nutraceutical and Cosmeceutical industries. Alkemist Labs produces a complete line of Composite Reference Botanicals (CRBs), critical tools for botanical identity verification, and also distributes phytochemical reference standards from Extrasynthese of Lyon, France.

Novel Ingredients​​: Novel Ingredients offers highly differentiated, clinically backed ingredients, best-in-class processing technologies, and a trusted supply of premier botanicals. Novel’s unmatched, vertically integrated suite of services strengthens brands in the nutraceutical, food, personal care, and pet food industries by promoting Wellness from Within.

Indena​​: A leading company in the identification, development and production of plant-derived active principles for the pharmaceutical, health-food and personal care industries. Backed by more than 90 years of botanical experience and more than 30 years in the health food market, Indena is one of the pioneer companies in the sector, among the first to offer the market high-end standardized extracts from edible plants with efficacy that is proven and reproducible over time.