Giving members credibility where it matters most
Quick now – why are B-vitamins essential to good health and when should you consider supplements? How can black cherry juice ease your gout? And while we’re at it, what exactly are enzymes and why should you pay attention to them?
These are all questions graduates of the Certified Natural Products Advisor (CNPA) course are qualified to answer, and it is why Mathew Holtmann of Vita Health Fresh Markets encourages all staff to take the course.
“People have a lot of questions when they come into health food stores,” says Holtmann, corporate grocery manager for the company’s seven Winnipeg stores.
“We like them to know if they are coming to Vita Health, they can be confident there will always be qualified people on staff to help them. It helps to set us apart from our competition.”
Holtmann took the course himself about three years ago and says he was impressed by the rigour of the curriculum. He learned basic concepts of organic and biochemistry, the human cardiovascular, respiratory and gastrointestinal system, and the various natural products to help keep everything in working order.
A rigourous program
In fact, it was the CHFA’s commitment to such a rigorous program that convinced the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine to design it in the mid 1990s.
“This is the only course of its kind we feel comfortable enough we’d put our name on it. We don’t work with any other organization,” says Peter Mayhew, the Toronto college’s director of advancement and continuing education and alumni.
“There are no shortcuts through this and that’s one of the things we quite like.”
Naturopathic doctors who teach at the college regularly update the curriculum to make sure students benefit from the latest research.
Every two years, they go through the textbook and DVD containing the self-directed program and make whatever changes are necessary. So while the year-long program is self-directed and designed for distance learning, students can be confident the materials have the college’s continuing stamp of approval.
Former CHFA president Donna Herringer is understandably proud of the program. She remembers discussions around the board of directors’ table back in 1994 over how the association could help members do their jobs better.
“We realized there wasn’t anything that elevated sales staff and gave them expertise in the industry,” she recalls. “We knew retailers would benefit by having sales associates on the floor with credibility.”
While the course was originally created with retailers in mind, suppliers such as SISU, a Burnaby, British Columbia-based vitamin and supplement manufacturer, began expressing interest shortly after it was launched.
“For us, education is a really important part of our relationship with retailers,” says SISU director of marketing Jaime Williams, a graduate of the program. “We’re not just there to sell products to retailers, but to help them learn as well.”