The industry association celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, and has in fact changed its name on four previous occasions following changes in the market and the needs of its members.
In an announcement detailing the reasons behind the proposed new name - to which the board is urging members to vote 'yes' - it said that the past decade has seen particularly rapid changes in society's attitude towards natural products, and presented industry with new challenges, particularly vis à vis regulations.
The new mission statement is to "advocate for the rights of consumers to have access to products that will maintain and improve their health, and for the rights of retailers and suppliers to sell these products."
Hand-in-hand with this is the association's new vision statement - to "strive to achieve a broader, more accessible marketplace for natural products that will improve the quality of life for consumers worldwide."
President David Seckman said explained that the statements and name-change recommendation are the result of a year-long deliberation that involved taking a long hard look at the membership profile and NNFA's role in the marketplace, as well as consultation with a diverse group retailers and suppliers.
"We could have just put some words on paper that sounded good, but we really wanted our mission and vision to have meaning and resonate with all our stakeholders, including members, potential members, legislators, the media even the public who uses our products and services," said Seckman.
"To fulfill our mission, we will continue to set standards for self-regulation and provide member services that facilitate commerce and enhance ethical business conduct."
He added that fulfilling the vision statement requires NNFA and the natural products industry view themselves as drivers of social change, that will improve the health and wellness of consumers.