Natural Products Expo West is done for another year – and in 2024 the Southern African Botanical Products Association was represented at the Expo by Thomas Brendler (Regulatory Portfolio) and Ferdinand Labuschagne (Memberships and Marketing).
Natural Products Expo West 2025 | March 4 – 8, Anaheim, CA
The Expo was extremely eventful for SABPA with a Memorandum of Understanding being signed with the United Natural Products Association (UNPA) and strategic partnerships also discussed with the Allied Herbal Products Alliance (AHPA) and the American Botanical Council (ABC).
In addition to meeting with like-minded US Associations the SABPA representatives walked the floor of which there were 4 and met as many producers, manufacturer’s and users of natural products in various forms as they could.
The primary purpose of attending Expo West was to raise awareness of SABPA’s flagship species, Sceletium tortuosum, as well as other natural botanical products from Southern Africa. More than 100 samples of Sceletium dried powder and capsules were distributed to interested parties. More importantly the role of SABPA in developing standard methodologies and reference standards for testing; planned self-affirmed GRAS in 2024 and becoming the main body to assure the quality of its members products was communicated. The strategic partnerships engaged in at Expo West are sure to increase market confidence in Southern African Botanical Products in the future.
The 5-day Expo quest ended with a visit to Alkemist Labs with its truly impressive testing laboratory that will hopefully be able to offer standardised Sceletium testing in the next year.