The Organic & Natural Health Association presented SENPA executive director Debra Short with its Champion Award Jan. 22 at the conclusion of its 11th annual conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, honoring her longstanding commitment to advocacy, education and support of independent natural products retailers.
Short opened the conference, “The United States of Health: Building Bridges to Opportunity,” with a keynote reflecting on SENPA’s history and reinforcing the critical role independent retailers play as the frontline for consumer education and access.
“This recognition belongs to the independent retailers who serve their communities every day,” Short said. “Advocacy and education are critical to SENPA’s future and to protecting the consumers those retailers serve.”
The award recognized Short’s decades of leadership and underscored the independent retailer as the heartbeat of the natural health industry, highlighting how advocacy, education and community engagement fuel both retailer success and consumer trust.
Conference Addresses Science, Policy, Business
The program examined science, policy and business in equal measure. Stephen Van Vliet, assistant professor of nutrition science at Utah State University, presented research demonstrating how agricultural inputs can measurably influence nutrient density in animal-based foods, with implications for public health policy.
Travis McCormick, a primary architect of the “Make Texans Healthy Again” initiative, inspired attendees with legislative successes that are incrementally reshaping health care in Texas. Representatives from My Health Alliance outlined political objectives for 2026, which attendees used to workshop potential outcomes with artificial intelligence.
“In a time of disruption and uncertainty, the industry’s strength comes from collaboration and shared purpose,” said Karen Howard, CEO and executive director of Organic & Natural Health. “This conference brought together the right voices to protect consumers, empower retailers, and advance policies that support a resilient future for natural health.”
Todd Harrison, a founding board member at Organic & Natural Health and partner at Venable, called for a bold, next-generation reset of dietary supplement and cosmeceutical health regulation, arguing that incremental updates to a decades-old framework has not kept pace with today’s global, digital marketplace and advances in nutritional and biosciences. He outlined a framework to replace regulatory ambiguity with clear rules that strengthen post-market transparency, clarify FDA authority and focus enforcement on real public health risks.
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Global Perspectives Round Out Program
Global perspectives rounded out the program. Matts Johansen, CEO of Aker BioMarine, addressed challenges related to international trade and supply chains, followed by a panel discussion examining their impact on product quality, cost and sourcing.
Informa market research analyst Erika Craft presented consumer trend data. The conference concluded with a session led by Organic & Natural Health scientific advisory member Dr. Dana Cohan, who convened leading brands for a Consumer Packaged Goods Council discussion.
Participants included Brian Terry of Nordic Naturals, Stephanie Redmond, Pharm.D, founder of Dr. Stephanie’s, and Michael T. Murray, naturopathic doctor and chief scientific advisor at iHerb, who discussed transparency, efficacy and the priorities shaping today’s natural health consumers.
Organic & Natural Health will continue its “United States of Health: Building Bridges to Opportunity” salon dinners, a year-round series of intimate, strategy-driven roundtables that unite leaders from business, policy and science. The 2026 conference was supported by sponsors Informa, Anagenix and Venable.