Spotlighting shared science and innovation to benefit the entire supplement sector and deliver much-needed nutritional support to consumers
Andrea Wong, Ph.D. Senior Vice President, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs
With over a decade at CRN, Andrea Wong sums up why she has been with the association so long: integrity. She cites not only the integrity of the staff, but also of the members, who she says all have a strong commitment to providing safe and beneficial products for better health and nutrition.
She also appreciates how the members CRN represents are committed to the “overall nutritional needs” of their consumers, which has resulted in innovation around ingredients and delivery forms, and improved adherence by consumers to supplement regimens.
“That innovation comes at the right time, because there is this misperception that if you just eat ‘right,’ you don’t need supplements. And that is just not true,” says Wong. “There is this lofty idea that you can get all your nutrition from food, but we know that isn’t possible for everyone, so we need to meet consumers where they ‘are’ versus where they ‘should be.’”
One of the elements to her job that she most enjoys is being able to liaise between members, some of whom might even be competitors, to elevate the shared science that will benefit the entire sector.
“In addition to the breadth of experience we have resident in our science team, we have an endless resource in the form of the research and development divisions of our member companies,” says Wong. “Competition can and should sometimes be turned into collaboration. I think we do that exceptionally well here.”