Washington, D.C.—Organic & Natural Health Association (O&N Health) is gearing up to host its 8th annual conference, taking place from January 17-19, 2023, at The Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village in Cape Coral, FL. O&N Health conference is designed to optimize networking while promoting meaningful discussions on issues impacting the natural products industry and consumers.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Disrupting Dysfunction: Securing Supply Chain Integrity,” and much of the content was developed as a result of O&N Health’s board conference retreat to San Miguel, Mexico, in 2022. Conference sponsors include Mercola, AIDP, and Chr. Hansen.

For an early kickoff to the event, attendees can participate in optional networking events on January 16, including 18 holes of golf, followed by dinner and a “Bogeys, Beers & Bourbon” tasting. On January 17, the opening reception and dinner will support a community Hurricane Ian restoration project.

The conference will also address a range of pressing topics, with keynote presentations by Dan Lifton, CEO of QOL Labs and O&N Health treasurer, and Dan Richard, Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing at NOW Foods. “We have a lot of critical issues to cover, and I predict 2023 will be a big year for Organic & Natural Health and the natural products industry,” said Karen Howard, CEO and Executive Director of O&N Health. “This is our most important gathering of the year.”

Focusing on “The Amazon Factor”

The event will feature a panel of industry experts including Elan Sudberg, CEO of Alkemist Labs, and Chris Burkhart, Senior Vice President of Sales at Nutrasource, discussing “The Amazon Factor” and proposing strategies for improving quality assurance for consumers.

O&N Health was recently honored with WholeFoods Magazine’s 2022 Person of the Year  for being one of the quality activists of Amazon.com during the past several years. O&N Health noted that its efforts, along with initiatives from fellow colleagues and companies in the industry including NOW and Alkemist, have put pressure on the online giant. Howard stresses that uniting the industry on this issue is key to finding solutions with Amazon that everyone can tolerate.

“We need a cohesive industry response to the issues arising from Amazon,” said Howard. “Addressing the ‘Amazon factor’ is a complex issue that requires everyone to be equally vested in a business case that can serve the entire industry, while benefiting consumers and supporting our retailers. I am optimistic that the balanced and scientifically determined actions we have taken will result in true collaboration, which is why this issue is at the top of our agenda at the conference this year.”

More topics at the O&N Health event:

• Regenerative agriculture innovation for the supply chain
• Using blockchain technology to win back consumer trust
• Recruitment and retention strategies in the workplace
• Failings and fixings with 2023 politics
• Adopting ESG (environmental, social, governance) as an investment strategy
• Bringing to light the issues surrounding synthetic biology
• A state of the industry address by Tom Aarts, managing director of Nutrition Business Advisors.