—Dickinson to Retire in May—
 
 WASHINGTON, D.C., March 8, 2005 — The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), one of the dietary supplement industry's leading trade associations, today announced Steven M. Mister, Esq., has been named CRN's president and chief executive officer.   Mr. Mister will begin his new position in mid-April.
 
According to Chuck Brice, chairman, CRN Board of Directors and senior vice president, sales and business development for Kemin, the CRN Search Committee interviewed numerous excellent candidates and Mr. Mister was ultimately selected because of his "high energy, integrity and ability to quickly grasp the issues facing our industry and expertly articulate a direction for moving forward the association's goals."
 
Mr. Mister joins CRN from his position as director of government affairs at the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations.   Prior to that, he served in several roles for over a decade at the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), most recently as vice president and associate general counsel with responsibility for, among other things, CHPA's state government relations program.   He also worked as an attorney in the Washington, D.C., office of Wiley, Rein & Fielding in the firm's general litigation,government ethics and federal election law practice groups, and had a stint on the Hill as a media relations assistant for former U.S. Senator Charles McC. Mathias, Jr.
 
"I am honored to have been selected by CRN and am looking forward to joining the association," says Mr. Mister. "During my career, I have had the pleasure of working with many of CRN's member companies and I look forward to getting to know those I have not yet met.   My immediate priorities will be to further strengthen the association by building membership and to continue to educate legislators, regulators, healthcare professionals and journalists about the important place dietary supplements have in a consumer-driven culture of wellness."
 
Mr. Mister received his J.D. in 1989 from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law, The College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Va.; his M.A. in political communication in 1986 from the University of Maryland, College Park, Md.; and his B.S. from Towson University, Towson, Md., in 1985.   He is a member of the Maryland and Washington, D.C., Bars; a graduate of the Institute of Association Management, a U.S. Chamber of Commerce program; and has earned the Certified Association Executive designation from the American Society of Association Executives.
 
As previously announced, Annette Dickinson, Ph.D., CRN's current president, is moving to Minneapolis, Minn., in May, following a brief transition period with Mr. Mister. Dr. Dickinson, who has been with CRN for 31 years, serving as president for approximately the last two-and-a-half, will maintain a relationship with CRN as a consultant.   She also plans to do other consulting work, and is looking forward to being involved with the University of Minnesota's new Center for Dietary Supplement Safety.
 
"On behalf of CRN, I want to thank Annette for her many years of unwavering, dedicated service to this organization and the industry," states Mr. Brice.   "She is leaving the association on solid ground--with a strong membership base, an expert staff and a highly-regarded reputation.   I know she joins us in the belief that Steve is the right person to take the reins of CRN's future."
 
Mr. Brice thanked the CRN Search Committee for their work. The search committee was comprised of nine CRN Board members including committee chair Mark LeDoux, Natural Alternatives International, Inc. and the following executives:   E. Charles "Chuck" Brice of Kemin; Edward Croom, Ph.D., of Indena USA, Inc.; Andrew Davis of Wyeth Consumer Health; Byron Johnson of Access Business Group/Nutrilite; Harvey Kamil of NBTY, Inc.; Joseph LaPlaca of DSM Nutritional Products, Inc.; John Venardos of Herbalife International of America, Inc.; and Tom Zimmerman of Pharmavite LLC.
 
The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973, is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing dietary supplement industry ingredient suppliers and manufacturers.   CRN members adhere to a strong code of ethics, comply with dosage limits and manufacture dietary supplements to high quality standards under good manufacturing practices. For more information on CRN, visit http://www.crnusa.org .

CONTACT:
Judy Blatman
202-204-7962