Business View Magazine Jan-2019

145 Demand for natural products is at an all-time high as more Americans are looking for natural ways to support their health and lifestyles.According to recent industry research, three out of four U.S. adults say they’ve used a vitamin or mineral supplement in the past year. In 2017, the natural, organic and functional food and beverage markets combined sales reached $200 billion.The vast majority of Americans are using nutritional supplements and natural products to support their health, and it is a very exciting time to be in the business. Members and executives of our Association are generally very satisfied with the current administra- tion’s approach to support strong and sensible regu- lation and to encourage investment and risk taking. The broad tax reform act, in particular, has allowed capital to flow toward new research and product development. For example,manufacturers of probi- otic supplements developed technology to isolate new probiotic strains and deliver their products in a variety of formats.As a result, probiotics were the bestselling ingredient in their product categories in 2017, according to leading industry analyst SPINS. The natural products industry is heavily regulated, THE NATURAL PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION AT A GLANCE THE NATURAL PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION WHAT: A trade Association for the dietary supplements industry WHERE: Washington, D.C. WEBSITE: www.npanational.org