Natural Products Expo News Briefs

SRBA taps Demos as keynote speaker
Organizers for the 13th annual Socially Responsible Business Awards breakfast tapped WhiteWave co-founder Steve Demos to serve as the keynote speaker at the Sept. 28 event. Demos, whose former company was a 2004 SRBA recipient, is often credited for turning the public on to soymilk. Demos was one of the early American entrepreneurs to apply the Buddhist concept of "right livelihood" to the marketplace, which boils down to doing business without causing harm. Past SRBA recipients have demonstrated exceptional track records in areas such as ethics, accountability, and environmental protection. For more information on sponsoring the event or nominating a company to receive a SRBA, contact Jill Ettinger at 201.963.2365 or visit www.sociallyresponsibleawards.com.

—P.R.

Reach shoppers with mood-enhancing supps
Do bad moods, irritability, anger and depression correlate with poor nutrition? Can supplements help with "pissy-mood syndrome," anxiety and adult-ADHD behavior? In "The Science and Selling of Mood-Enhancing Supplements," best-selling author and personal nutrition coach Jack Challem will explore links between moods and nutrients in an educational session at Expo. At 2:45 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28, Challem will discuss key mood-mellowing supplements and give retailers tips for marketing these products to customers.

Known as The Nutrition Reporter, Challem has been writing about advances in nutrition, vitamin and mineral research since 1974. His most recent book, The Food-Mood Solution (John Wiley & Sons, 2004), examines the connections between food and feelings

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—H.O.

A free night at Expo
Excited about all the events Natural Products Expo East has to offer, but wish you had time to explore Baltimore and mingle with friends and clients outside the convention center? Show organizers will introduce Exhibitor Hospitality Night this year to address that very dilemma. On Friday, Sept. 28, there will be no Expo-sponsored events, leaving companies and clients to entertain themselves and each other. "The past few years, we realized there's a demand from our exhibitors to have time to entertain their clients at private events," says Patrick Smith, national sales manager for trade shows and conferences at New Hope Natural Media. "This open night is a great opportunity for everyone to do their own thing, like taking a cruise around the harbor or catching an Orioles game."

—M.R.

Natural Foods Merchandiser volume XXVIII/number 8/p. 16