CHFA West 2020

Business representatives from across the natural health industry joined CHFA for a half-day full of regulatory updates related to food and natural health products (NHPs). The Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate (NNHPD) provided an update on NNHPD operations, system modernization updates, feedback on the most recent NHP quality audit results, and next steps for the self-care products framework. The Food and Drugs Act Liaison Office (FDALO) provided the audience with information on FDALO’s role within Health Canada, and specifically, in the reconsideration process for NHPs. Next, the Food Directorate provided an update on the modernization of the food regulatory framework and next steps for a proposed regulatory approach for supplemented foods. The Regulatory Operations and Enforcement Branch (ROEB) finished with an update on their compliance and enforcement (C&E) approach to NHPs, including C&E tools, trends and proactive risk management projects.

• How a simple gift certificate can be used to get people excited about your store and in the door.
• A killer promotion idea that generated over $100,000 for a small independent retailer. You can use it too!
• How to get other businesses to share their customer lists with you.
• The secret to turn those pesky donation requests into money in the bank. You’re going to love this one!

You can easily double, triple or multiply by 10 the effectiveness of your efforts to get new customers by using the techniques and concepts outlined in this session.

This 90 minute interactive workshop will help you dive into building a Conscious Brand (beyond just sustainability) for your business.

CBD as a Health Product: Obstacles and Opportunities

Click here to access Deepak's presentation.

Click here to access Dr. Laprairie's presentation.

What Shade of Green Is Your Retail Business?

Shoppers don’t think being green is a fad anymore. Their attitudes are changing towards recycling, reusing and reducing. Customers are increasingly asking where products come from, who made them and what they are made from.

Join Barbara to learn what it means to be a green retailer and how to run a profitable business while taking on this enormous challenge. What changes to make and at what speed? What products to keep? Which ones to replace? How to maintain best margins and even increase sales? How fast should the transition to a greener store be? Barbara will provide answers to all these questions and more.

You have a Golden Green opportunity to become a leader and catalyst for the environment right from where you and your business are. Don’t miss this session to find out how.

Click here to access Barbara's presentation.

Canadian Food Regulations - What You Need to Know 

Do you find yourself wondering if you require a Temporary Market Authorization Letter (TMAL) or a Natural Product Number (NPN) for your new product? Is your food novel? What about the added ingredients to flavour or sweeten your product – are they permissible in Canada?

Join us for an interactive session with the Food Directorate. During the presentation, the rules and regulations that are currently in place for foods in Canada will be discussed. Key areas of focus will include the specific requirements for novel foods, supplemented foods and food additives. Participants will learn how to classify their unique and one of kind products and what guidance and regulations they need to reference to properly bring these products to the Canadian market. Attend this session to learn more and ask your questions – this is a must-attend session for any business looking to introduce new or unique food products to the Canadian market.

Click here to access the presentation from this session.

Digital Marketing: From Social to Store to a SALE!

Learn five proven tips on how to use social media to increase brand recognition and build trust with customers. By increasing your brand exposure online, your product can more easily land in the baskets of loyal customers in-store. Come away with actionable items you can implement immediately to amplify your social media strategy.

Click here to access the presentation from this session.

Snorkeling in the Labour Pool

A top-notch staff is an independent retailer’s biggest competitive edge. The people on your team are face to face with your customers, either giving them an experience that brings them back or leaves them cold. A great retail staff does not happen by accident!

You will learn:

• The tricks to finding the best, most highly qualified candidates
• How to develop interview questions that separate the potential superstars from the run-of-the-mill
• How to interview skillfully
• How to consistently bring your new hires on board correctly
• And much, much more!

Click here to access the presentation from this session.

How to Use Social Selling to Crush Your Sales Quota

Social media and social networks are becoming vital sources for prospecting, lead generation and client engagement. In fact, a recent study of over 500 sales professionals found that 72.6% of sales professionals who used social media outperformed their peers who didn’t. This, of course, is only true if you have a solid strategy and process to use social media as a tool – not a distraction.

In this session, Shane Gibson will share with you:

• The Rules of Engagement in social media for sales professionals
• How to define and hone in on your target “nano-markets” online
• How your social graph impacts your ability to close deals and generate leads
• How to maximize your LinkedIn profile so that it attracts clients
• How becoming an expert content curator can build credibility and influence on LinkedIn
• Key social search and social media monitoring tools to find opportunities and gather business intelligence
• How tools like Hootsuite and social CRM can pull all your social networking together and make it easier and profitable to manage.

Is your store as dynamic as it could be? Are you providing the best experience for your customers? Could changing just a few things result in greater sales? This session will provide you with the latest trends in retail merchandising and the associated pros and cons. From the latest equipment to innovative program trends, there are many opportunities to enhance your space and grow your business.

CHFA East 2019

The Ministry of Economic Development Job Creation and Trade (MEDJCT) and CHFA partnered to organize an education session to discuss ecommerce opportunities across Canada and international markets. Speakers from Amazon, the Trade Commissioner Office located in Beijing, China, MEDJCT, JustOrder Technology and Route 86 (EDC-RBC Ventures Partnership) shared their insight and experience on growing ecommerce opportunities from both the government and private sector perspective.

Representatives from Health Canada and Standards Council of Canada (SCC) joined us as guest speakers at the Regulatory Forum. Health Canada representatives discussed the importance of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and the most common deficiencies detected in the 2017 Natural Health Product (NHP) compliance monitoring project (CMP). Anneke Olvera from SCC discussed the importance of standards in Canada and how they impact industry, using examples within the natural health and food spaces. 

Boomers – The Ultimate Untapped Shopper

What are retailers missing by neglecting the 50+ consumer? Simply put, more sales and increased profits! By neglecting this affluent consumer, armed with the greatest disposable income in the country, and who account for over 40% of all consumer purchases, businesses are leaving billions of dollars on the table. How can you change this?

Check out this thought-provoking session to gain fresh insights into what Boomers expect and how exceeding these expectations can drive your organization’s growth. Filled with best practices, case studies, and breakthrough ideas that will drive customer engagement, this session is a must for anyone seeking to profit from the Boomer consumer.

Click here to access Colin's presentation.

Cutting Through the Noise with Creative Marketing

People are smarter and more skeptical of advertising and marketing than ever before. That doesn’t mean you give up, it just means you do things differently. Saul Colt will walk you through his formula and offer actual examples of how to cut through the noise and connect with people, make fans and have people actually wondering what your company will do next.   

Click here to access Saul's presentation.

CBD as a Health Product: Considerations for the Future Market 

Given Health Canada’s consultation on the potential market for cannabis health products and the timely opportunity to influence the regulation of cannabidiol (CBD) health products in the Canadian market, this session will focus on what needs to be considered, and what gaps need to be filled, in order to create a regulatory pathway in the United States for CBD to be used in health products. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn and discuss the future market for CBD!

Click here to access Ashish's presentation.

Insights on the Next Gen Natural Products Consumer in Canada

Are you a supplier or retailer wondering how to connect with the Next Gen consumer? SocialNature.com, the largest online panel of health and wellness consumers in Canada, will be sharing the top five defining attributes of the Next Gen consumer, including their primary health goals and shopping preferences, as well as category and regional trends. Applicable for suppliers and retailers looking for top takeaways on how to best engage this growing market segment. 

Click here to access Jessica's presentation.

How to Optimize Your Email Marketing Strategy to Increase Sales and Build Customer Loyalty

Email has been around for a long time, but it’s still one of the most efficient ways to communicate with your audience. Your customers are on social media, of course, but it’s through their email inbox that you can reach them directly in a more personalized way. Email is especially effective in the retail industry. Retailers all over the world are using email marketing to build loyalty and drive sales.

Is your email marketing strategy a little dusty? In this workshop, we’ll give it the 2019 update! Here’s an overview of what we’ll cover:

• How to grow your email list
• How to keep your subscribers engaged and generate sales
• How to update your email communication strategy with the latest trends
• Examples of real-life campaigns
• Common mistakes to avoid
• How to stay CASL compliant at all times

You’ll leave this presentation with your mind, and your notepad, full of actionable ideas to put forward in your organization and a draft of an updated email communication strategy. 

Click here to access Antoine's presentation.

The CBD Disconnect: Regulating CBD in Canada

With legalization of cannabis in Canada, many companies struggle with how CBD fits. Learn how CBD is regulated today, the challenges with the current framework, and how this may evolve into the future.

Exceptional Customer Service – The Foundation of Your Success

The customer is your most important and loyal asset and your role is to deliver consistent and first-class customer service. OTEC is a leader in service excellence training, and this presentation will improve how you create your own experiences with your customers. In this session, you will learn about relationship development and the importance of the first impression. You will also discover powerful tools that ensure you deliver an exemplary customer experience – each and every time. If providing value, engaging customers, and building relationships, loyalty and retention is important to your business, this is a must-attend session.

Our Plastics Dilemma: Challenges and Possible Solutions

Single-use plastics — or SUPs — are a very hot topic for Canadians. It is the number one issue the food industry is dealing with right now. Plastics are everywhere in food. They include most food and product packaging, plastic bags, straws, coffee stirrers and beverage bottles. The Agrifood Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University just released an exploratory study looking at societal attitudes in Canada toward single-use plastics: The single-use plastics dilemma: Perceptions and possible solutions. The aim of the study was to better understand the perspectives of Canadian consumers on SUPs in the food industry, and explore possible solutions. Sylvain Charlebois will present results and update us on what’s been happening in the industry and is likely to happen over the next few years.

Imagine time and priority management techniques that help you and the people who depend on you to exceed expectations and proudly enjoy a healthy work-life balance.

Imagine techniques that help you concentrate on your important activities.

Bruce Mayhew Consulting, will introduce time and priority management techniques and high-value habit forming (not software dependent) activities. Some of the key points Bruce will talk about:

• Important 'strategic work’ versus less important ‘busy work’
• What matters to your business, your customers, your employees?
• Exploring how to prioritize important work – everyday. When do most of us do our best work? When should we plan to be creative or strategic? When should we manage routine tasks?
• Does mindfulness matter here… really?

Is your store as dynamic as it could be? Are you providing the best experience for your customers? Could changing just a few things result in greater sales? This session will provide you with the latest trends in retail merchandising and the associated pros and cons. From the latest equipment to innovative program trends, there are many opportunities to enhance your space and grow your business.

CHFA West 2019

NHPs and Food – Regulatory Updates

Dino Covone, Director, Consumer Health Product Modernization at the Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate, will provide updates on the progress of the self-care products framework, and ongoing modernization initiatives within the directorate. Mary Morgan, Associate Director, Health Product Compliance at the Regulatory Operations and Regions Branch, will discuss the compliance monitoring projects as well as personal importation of natural health products. Dr. William Yan, Director, Bureau of Nutritional Sciences at the Food Directorate, will present the latest updates on supplemented food and the Healthy Eating Strategy.

Click here to access Dino's presentation.

Click here to access Mary's presentation.

Click here to access William's presentation.

Keynote Breakfast: Global Trends Driving the Evolving Natural Products Marketplace

Consumers are increasingly demanding healthy, natural/organic, authentic and sustainable products, and this is driving seismic changes in the food industry. Smaller companies are driving the majority of the growth in the U.S. and beyond, while the established multinationals deal with consumer trust issues and slower innovation pipelines. Ingredients that were often most associated with dietary supplements are increasingly crossing over into food and beverages, and food companies are investing heavily in categories such as personalized nutrition and sports nutrition.

Lines are blurring between the food and nutrition industries, while overlaps are growing between nutrition and cosmetics, and nutrition and pharma. Meteoric growth is being accompanied by increased scrutiny from the media and regulators into the supply chain, and the safety and efficacy of these products.

With over a decade of reporting on the food and nutrition industries in multiple regions, Dr. Stephen Daniells, Editor-in-Chief of the market leading trade publications NutraIngredients-USA and FoodNavigator-USA, will give his unique perspective on the current state of affairs for the industry and its consumers. He will also look at areas of innovation and opportunity for industry, researchers and consumers.

Click here to access this presentation.

Click here to listen to the audio.

What You Need to Know About CBD Regulations

The legalization of recreational cannabis across Canada in October 2018 has created many questions about what types of cannabis products and ingredients are allowed to be sold. This presentation from Gowling WLG partners Laura Gomez, Lewis Retik and Dr. Jon-Paul Powers will provide participants with an overview of the new Cannabis Act and regulations and provide additional clarity surrounding industrial hemp, health claims for CBD, and compliance and enforcement activities. Register now to gain a greater understanding of the regulations surrounding CBD-containing health products.

Click here to access this presentation.

Circular Economy for Packaging – Views from the Carton Packaging Industry

Rising concerns of global plastic pollution coupled with other pressing environmental issues such as climate change and resource depletion are driving new policies and corporate commitments to address sustainability. At the same time, however, designing for circularity is no small feat when also meeting the demand for performance, shelf appeal, security, stability, and freshness. This presentation will provide an overview of the food and beverage carton industry’s efforts to support the transition to the circular economy by working both upstream and downstream of their package’s value chain. The Carton Council of Canada’s Managing Director will speak to her organization’s mandate, its strategy to grow the recycling of food and beverage cartons in Canada, and those attributes that make cartons an environmentally-sound packaging from a life-cycle perspective. She will also touch on packaging-neutral tools available to support packaging sustainability decisions.

Click here to access this presentation.

Click here to listen to the audio.

Did you know that there are many resources and funding programs available through the federal or provincial government, to help your business grow and succeed? The purpose of this session is to provide attendees with information on the programs, services and strategies available to Canadian businesses to help them succeed within Canada and internationally. Our speakers are Faye Wu from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Allison Boulton from Export Navigator and Ana Fong-Marquez from Innovation Canada. Don’t miss this opportunity to discover and take advantage of key resources to fit your business needs.

Is your store as dynamic as it could be? Are you providing the best experience for your customers? Could changing just a few things result in greater sales? This session will provide you with the latest trends in retail merchandising and the associated pros and cons. From the latest equipment to innovative program trends, there are many opportunities to enhance your space and grow your business.

CHFA West 2018

2018 Global Food and Drink Trends​ - Presented by Joel Gregoire, Senior Food and Drink Analyst at Mintel

Gaining an edge in the food and drink industry starts with a simple question: “What do consumers want?” Mintel’s 2018 Food and Drink Trends presentation helps answer this question and provides perspective on how companies are responding to these demands. How are Mintel’s trends identified? They are the result of collaboration among 60 of Mintel’s expert analysts across more than a dozen countries. The resulting trends are based on concepts that reflect current consumer-focused themes around trust, self-care, stress, individuality and sustainability, and aim to make sense of what’s new and important to help companies make informed, strategic decisions.

Click here to access this presentation.

Why Natural Health Retailers Are the Envy of Their Competitors (Updated) - Presented by Ryan Benn, President of alive Publishing Group

Understand the key differentiators that can ensure a profitable, long-term business model for the natural health retailer — includes a toolkit and playbook for success. In this insightful conversation with Ryan Benn, he discussed what natural health retailers are doing right, what they are doing wrong, and what they need to improve on to increase their business and stay ahead of FDM (or competition). This information was gathered from polling the alive Listens reader panel to gain insights into what consumers are looking for at the stores that they shop in, to compile a playbook of actionable tools to ensure the success of your natural health business.

You can access Ryan's presentation here, and the playbook for success here.

How to Market Your Brand Like a Food Network Star​ - Presented by Dayna Lapkovsky, President of Suite 203 Communications

With an explosion of new health products entering the marketplace every year, how does your brand stand out, compete and become a customer favourite? You don't have to be a reality star to win at making your brand shine! Marketing consultant Dayna Lapkovsky draws inspiration from television’s biggest personalities and shares her five biggest secrets learned while working with brands, both big and small, over the past 15 years. In this presentation, find out how to become and stay relevant to your target market and build a loyal, engaged group of brand ambassadors.

Death by Amazon​ - Presented by Bruce Winder, Co-Founder and Partner of Retail Advisors Network

Death by Amazon… it’s a jarring headline and perhaps a thought that has crossed your mind. In a recent article published in the Financial Post, the story led with this: “Amazon.com Inc.’s purchase of Whole Foods Market Inc. last month has pushed an already nervous retail sector into a collective panic not seen since the great recession.” But the real headline here should be how retailers can withstand the onslaught, suggests Bruce Winder, an expert in the field of retail who also contributed to the article. What are select retailers doing differently to resist being disrupted by this behemoth? How do in-store experience, location, assortment, staff product knowledge, niche marketing and value-added services minimize the commoditization of retail? There are some merchants using these strategies and more to set themselves up to thrive in this ever-evolving arena that has seen countless businesses give up.

Click here to access this presentation.

Retail Leaders Round Table - Presented by Bruce Winder, Co-Founder and Partner of Retail Advisors Network

Following the Death by Amazon session, CHFA Members were invited to join Bruce for a lively discussion. This was an opportunity to share pain points, insights and best practices with other independent store owners. Retail owners and operators engaged with others who may be having the same challenges — and experiencing the same successes.

Are Organics and “x-ponics” Mutually Exclusive?​ - Presented by Kelly Monaghan, President of Ash Street Organics

Organic agriculture is generally considered to be soil-based — but what about hydroponics, aeroponics and aquaponics? USDA’s NOP still allows organic hydroponics while Canada and the EU do not. Canada is heading towards permitting organic aquaponics of products traditionally grown in soil. The latest updates on these rules and regulations are discussed in this seminar by Kelly Monaghan of Ash Street Organics.

Winning Over the Connected Generation​ - Presented by Annalea Krebs, CEO of SocialNature

The retail landscape has changed with the rise of the connected generation, which is defined not by age but rather how consumers purchase and where they’re spending time. To succeed, a seamless omni-channel (online and in-store) approach to sales and marketing is required. Annalea Krebs of SocialNature provides insights and tactics on how retailers can collaborate with suppliers, and why they should see this changing landscape as an opportunity and not a threat. Key takeaways include understanding the connected generation, how this relates to the changing path to purchase, and marketing tactics to bridge the gap between digital and brick and mortar.

Respecting the Boundaries​ - Presented by Lewis Retik, leader of the Advertising & Product Regulatory group and co-leader of the Food & Beverage group at Gowling WLG, and Daniel Cole is a partner in Gowling WLG’s Intellectual Property Group

Ah, yes, the magic supplement that cures everything from anxiety to cancer. We’ve all seen advertising that makes us scratch our heads and wonder, “How did they get away with that?” Canadian regulations dictate that manufacturers should not make any claims for which the product is not approved. So why do marketers push the boundaries? This presentation provides examples where claims are either bordering on misleading the public or just plain false. What are the risks in embellishing an approved claim? Are the rules for marketing on social media platforms more lenient? Do retailers hold any responsibility when selling products that make false claims? View this presentation to help you navigate the dos and don’ts when pushing the boundaries.