Hall of Legends inducts AHPA's McGuffin

Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), was inducted into the New Hope Natural Media Hall of Legends during a ceremony held at the 2013 Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, Calif.

The Hall of Legends celebrates those individuals who have made significant contributions to the development and evolution of the natural products industry. One of 10 individuals inducted this year, McGuffin was honored for having devoted a significant portion of his life making the herbal products industry the success it is today.

"I am honored to share this acknowledgement with the other recipients of this award, and I thank New Hope for including me," said McGuffin, who has been active in the herbal industry since 1974. "I think there may be a recipe for becoming a 'legend.' First, find something that you love to do. Next, find a job that lets you do what you love to do. And then do it for a long time."

McGuffin is a leading expert on dietary supplement regulation and has been published in scholarly and scientific journals, including the Food and Drug Law Journal and Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics. He is the managing editor of the first and second editions of AHPA's Botanical Safety Handbook (1997 and 2013) and Herbs of Commerce, 2nd edition (2000). He speaks frequently on dietary supplement regulation and other botanicals-related issues.

He serves on the boards of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia and United Plant Savers and in advisory positions for the University of Southern California's School of Pharmacy, the International Organization for Standards Technical Committee on Traditional Chinese Medicine, and NSF's Joint Committee on Dietary Supplements.

Other 2013 inductees into the Hall of Legends include Sen. Tom Harkin; Doug Greene, founder of New Hope Natural Media; the late John Christopher of Christopher Herbs and Nature's Way; and Randy Dennin, formerly of Capsugel and the International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Association.