NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., February 22, 2005-The National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA) is proud to announce the 2005 recipients of the association's annual awards presented to outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions in various areas of the natural products industry. Recipients will be honored at NNFA's 68th annual trade show and convention, NNFA 2005, July 15 - 17 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Burton Kallman Scientific Award

The Burton Kallman Scientific Award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding scientific contributions that have benefited the natural products industry. This year's recipient is Richard Anderson, Ph.D.

Anderson is the lead scientist at Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Maryland where he has been actively involved in determining the role of chromium and other potentiators of insulin in human and animal nutrition. His research also includes determining the effects of various forms of stress including high sugar diets, exercise, temperature and physical trauma on trace element metabolism. He is the author or coauthor of more than 300 publications and abstracts and has presented more than 145 invited lectures and presentations. His research appeared in a front page article in USA Today, and he appeared on "ABC Evening News" for his pioneering work in nutrition and diabetes. For the last five years he has been chosen "Scientist of the Year" by the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

Rachel Carson Environmental Award

The Rachel Carson Environmental Award was designed to honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the protection of the environment. This year's recipient is Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., M.Sc.

Landrigan is a pediatrician and the Ethel H. Wise Professor and chair of the department of community and preventive medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, where he also holds a professorship in pediatrics and directs the Mount Sinai Center for Children's Health and the Environment. He has held positions at numerous health agencies including epidemic intelligence service officer and medical epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and senior advisor on children's health for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where he helped establish the Office of Children's Health Protection. He is editor in chief of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine and was editor of the journal, Environmental Research. Landrigan also authored a report on pesticides and children's health, which was instrumental in securing passage of the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 - the major federal pesticide law in the United States.

President's Award

NNFA's President's Award was created to recognize an individual who has made long-time contributions to the natural products industry, or has made a one-time, uniquely significant impact on the industry. This year's recipient is Robert Ullman.

Ullman has served this industry for nearly 40 years, representing NNFA for much of that time. He was lead counsel in what are now known as the Black Currant Oil Cases, which paved the way for the passage of DSHEA. Ullman also represented NNFA at the so-called vitamin hearings of the 1970s and at judicial reviews, which set aside FDA's ensuing vitamin regulations. He represented NNFA at FTC hearings, which unsuccessfully sought to impose serious advertising restrictions on industry. Recently, he successfully represented a dietary supplement manufacturer during FTC enforcement proceedings where the agency asserted that it was not possible to substantiate the claim that "calcium builds bone." Ullman continues today to be active in the industry and a staunch supporter of NNFA.

NNFA Crusader Awards

The NNFA Crusader Award recognizes individuals who have made notable contributions to the natural products industry above and beyond commercial success. Recipients of the 2005 NNFA Crusader Awards are Susan Haeger, Aubrey Hampton, Jim Hopper, Carol Simontacchi, and Mark Stowe.

As vice president of Strategic Global Affairs for New Hope Natural Media, Susan Haeger assists with facilitating international trade relationships and forums for the natural products industry. Prior to joining New Hope, Haeger was president and CEO of Citizens For Health. In her role at Citizens, she achieved broad-based issue success through building alliances with a multitude of national and regional trade and consumer groups focusing on food and water safety, dietary supplements, disease affliction and prevention, and complementary and alternative medicine.

Aubrey Hampton is acknowledged as an authority on natural organic cosmetics and photochemistry and is the founder of Aubrey Organics. Hampton obtained a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from New York University ­and created his first product more than 38 years ago. Since then, he has created more than 200 herbal cosmetics and written several books on the subject. His pioneering company has been a standard setter in natural hair and skin care since 1967. A dedicated animal rights activist, Hampton is strongly opposed to animal testing and disavowed using data resulting from tests conducted on animals.

Jim Hopper began his career at Tree of Life nearly 20 years ago. During that time, Hopper helped develop a national sales force for the company. He also applied his supermarket expertise in helping Tree of Life become one of North America's largest distributors of natural and specialty foods. Hopper was also a supporter of NNFA for many years, serving several terms on the national board of directors and attending and encouraging others to participate in Natural Foods Day.  He retired from Tree of Life in 2002 as senior vice president of trade relations.

While Carol Simontacchi is well known as a speaker and educator, she says her first professional love is nutrition science and counseling. Simontacchi has authored numerous books and training courses and authored and designed Wings: Weight Success for a Lifetime, a holistic weight management curriculum. She has appeared on hundreds of local, regional, and national radio and TV shows. Certified through the Clinical Nutritionist Certification Board, she is a professional member of the International and American Associations of Clinical Nutritionists. She has also served on NNFA's education committee. 

Mark Stowe has been actively involved in the health and natural foods industry for more than 25 years. He is president and owner of Nutrition Cottage, Inc., which has two locations in Florida. Stowe has been greatly involved with NNFA for more than a decade, including recently serving as president of the national board. He has also served as NNFA Southeast's president, national retail chair, and the communications committee chair. Stowe has been active in NNFA's lobbying efforts on both state and national levels, participating for several years in NNFA's annual lobbying event in Washington, D.C., Natural Foods Day.

NNFA Clinician Awards

The NNFA Clinician Award was created to honor licensed healthcare practitioners whose work exemplifies the best standards and dedication to responsible holistic, non-invasive and integrative/complementary/alternative medicine modalities. This year's recipients are Sidney Baker, M.D., and Christopher Hobbs, L.Ac., A.H.G.

Sidney Baker, M.D., is a board-certified pediatrician, serves as associate editor of the Journal of Integrative Medicine, and maintains a private practice in Connecticut and New York. Baker is co-founder of Defeat Autism Now!, a national organization devoted to examining biomedical treatment options and the environmental origins of the current autism epidemic. He is the author and co-author of several publications including Detoxification and Healing, and Biomedical Assessment Options for Children with Autism and Related Problems. He was director of the Gesell Institute of Human Development and held faculty positions and appointments at Yale University.

Christopher Hobbs, L.Ac., A.H.G., is an internationally-renowned botanist, clinical herbalist, author, and licensed acupuncturist, currently pursuing a Ph.D. in ethnopharmacology. He has authored or co-authored more than 24 books on health and herbal medicine, including Herbal Remedies for Dummies, Medicinal Mushrooms, and The Botanical Safety Handbook, as well as numerous articles in national magazines and journals. He co-founded the American Herbalists Guild, and served on the board of directors of the American Herbal Products Association and United Plant Savers. He has been researching and educating consumers and practitioners on the science and practice of herbal medicine and natural healing for over 35 years.

Socially Responsible Retailer Awards

The Socially Responsible Retailer Award recognizes NNFA member companies that excel in integrating social responsibility in multiple aspects of their businesses including volunteerism, education, employee empowerment, environment and health. This year's recipients are The Fruitful Yield Stores in Illinois, Rainbow Blossom, Inc. in Kentucky, and PCC Natural Markets in Washington.

Fruitful Yield stores' product mix includes foods that are organic, natural, wheat-free, or have a lower carb content, in order to serve the special needs of those with dietary restrictions. Managers participate in community events in order to inform consumers about their low-cost health services such as nutrition counseling. Staff members have lobbied Congress on industry related issues, including supporting the NNFA's lobbying efforts, and have urged customers do join these efforts. The stores feature public lectures in order to have a voice in the public debate on natural foods and supplements. Fruitful Yield employees are trained by clinical nutritionists on staff and by outside educators.

Rainbow Blossom, Inc. has been active in the natural foods industry for 28 years. The stores have developed relationships with 200 local charities to which they donate regularly. In addition, Rainbow Blossom helped create Kentucky Harvest, the largest Louisville-area food bank. The stores provide customer education about the benefits of natural products through various publications and other media outlets, as well as seminars and workshops featuring natural health experts such as naturopathic doctors, chiropractors, and massage therapists. Rainbow Blossom also supports sustainable agriculture by purchasing local produce from small farms whenever possible and strives to minimize waste by reusing and recycling paper and other materials.

A community-owned cooperative, PCC Natural Markets seeks and supports active involvement with the people in its communities. In 2003-2004, nearly 200 PCC volunteers repackaged and donated to local food banks more than 72,000 pounds of food purchased through PCC's Cash for the Hungry program. PCC was first among corporate sponsors of the PCC Farmland Fund, an independent, community-supported non-profit land trust. For more than 20 years, PCC has worked with social organizations to help disadvantaged and disabled people find jobs. PCC's overarching guidance statement promises that PCC "fosters a sustainable environment in which organic and natural industries can thrive."

NNFA 2005

NNFA 2005, NNFA's 68th annual trade show and convention, showcases the latest innovations in supplements, foods, health products, personal care, organics, sports nutrition. NNFA 2005 will take place July 15-17, at the world-class Sands Expo and Convention Center and The Venetian Resort Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. For more information regarding the show, please visit www.nnfa.org/tradeshow05, call (800) 966-6632, ext. 221, or e-mail conventions@nnfa.org.

About NNFA

The National Nutritional Foods Association (www.nnfa.org) is the nation's largest and oldest non-profit organization dedicated to the natural products industry. NNFA represents more than 8,000 retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors of natural products, including foods, dietary supplements, and health/beauty aids. With national offices in Washington, D.C., and Newport Beach, Calif., NNFA has seven regional offices throughout the United States and is governed by a 22-member board of directors representing all industry segments.

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Contact:
George Sun
Communications Manager
National Nutritional Foods Association
(949) 622-6272, ext. 234
gsun@nnfa.org