About Us

Today, the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA) stands as a leading trade association comprising over 100 companies dedicated to advancing global natural health products. Embracing a dedication to quality, science, and innovation, UNPA collaborates closely with industry leaders, government agencies, and stakeholders to champion responsible business practices. It advocates for standards that ensure consumer safety, access to reliable health information, and well-trained health practitioners.

 Through a multifaceted approach encompassing advocacy, education, and community, UNPA, together with its members and partners, nurtures industry excellence and leadership. This collective effort propels growth and upholds integrity within the natural health products community. UNPA serves as a unifying voice, honoring our history, driving forward scientific advancements, and safeguarding the health freedom of consumers.

 

UNPA’s History: Protecting Consumers’ Access to Dietary Supplements

In 1992, UNPA’s founder and president, Loren Israelsen, along with eight leading Utah-based dietary supplement companies, formed an alliance to challenge the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) aggressive and inappropriate enforcement actions against supplement companies. These actions threatened consumer access to these products. At that time, the association was named the Utah Natural Products Alliance.

 UNPA pursued a strategy to rewrite the rules governing dietary supplements. This strategy was developed in close cooperation with the office of Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah and led to the introduction of the Health Freedom Act of 1992, sponsored by Sen. Hatch and Rep. Bill Richardson of New Mexico. This bill ultimately became the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA). DSHEA was a significant achievement, demonstrating consumers, trade associations and industry companies working together to safeguard consumers’ access to supplements. In 2005, the association changed its name to the United Natural Products Alliance to reflect the diversity of its membership, which now spans North America, Europe, and Asia.

 

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