On the 25th of February 2021, EHPM held its General Assembly for the first time in a hybrid form: physical and virtual. As in every EHPM General Assembly, the Director General, Livia Menichetti, presented the previous year achievements and the coming year objectives, the Treasurer, Magdalini Selanikli, presented the EHPM budget, and members shared best practices and important development from their respective Countries. Also, under the moderation of the outgoing EHPM Chair, Michel Horn, the 2021 General Assembly voted on the amendments to the EHPM Statutes to adapt it to these troublesome times and also elected a new EHPM Board, and New Chair, Antonino Santoro, four new Vice-Chairs, and a new Treasurer.

The outgoing EHPM Chair, Michel Horn, opened the General Assembly highlighting how “Never in the history of the Food Supplements has so much been done for so many by so few”. Much, many, few, three words linked to the way our Industry is supported by the work of EHPM, he continued.
“So much: If the EHPM wouldn’t exist, nobody would do the job the way it is done and get the impressive results (image, network, information, influence) recognized by lawmakers and EC servants. So many: Each of the 10.000 food supplement operators in the EU, small or large, contributing or not to a national association, benefits from the EHPM actions. So few: Our Director General Livia Menichetti can count on the support of the Working groups and a dynamic Board. While strongly committed and very efficient, EHPM is a small team which achieves things other much larger organisations can only dream of!”

Then, the Director General, Livia Menichetti, presented the 2020 Activity Report and the 2021 Activity Plan. She showed how in 2020 EHPM managed to position itself as the voice of the food supplement sector as it was the only Association that exposed itself on a number of dossiers giving voice to the instances of the entire sector. EHPM managed to build an important network within the European Institutions and with stakeholders. For 2021, she continued, EHPM is committed to strengthen its proactive approach and develop a closer relationship with academia and scientific representatives as well as with consumers’ associations. She highlighted how this is essential to frame a fair regulatory environment for food supplements.

Later came the time for the General Assembly to vote on the proposed statutory amendments and to elect the new statutory bodies.

The General Assembly approved by absolute majority the amended Statutes that foresee the possibility for the General Assembly to fully take place online, if required by safety reasons, adapting it to the post Covid-19 new normal. The approved amended Statutes also foresees the possibility for the General Assembly to elect up to four Vice-Chairs that would support the Chair in representing EHPM.

After this, the General Assembly smoothly and unanimously elected the new statutory bodies.

The General Assembly confirmed for another two-year term as Board members: Nicolas Cappelaere (Synadiet, France), Bartosz Demianiuk (KRSiO, Poland), Harald Dittmar (BDIH, Germany), Jonathan Griffith (IHTA, Ireland), Michel Horn (Be-Sup, Belgium), Bolke Koster (NPN, the Netherlands), Martin Last (HFMA, the United Kingdom), Antonino Santoro (FederSalus, Italy), Magdalini Selanikli (SESDI, Greece).

Then, the General Assembly elected Antonino Santoro (FederSalus, Italy) as new EHPM Chair; Nicolas Cappelaere (Synadiet, France), Michel Horn (Be-Sup, Belgium), Martin Last (HFMA, the United Kingdom), Magdalini Selanikli (SESDI, Greece) as EHPM Vice-Chairs; and Bolke Koster (NPN, the Netherlands) as Treasurer.

The newly elected Chair, Antonino Santoro, commented: “I thank all the members of EHPM for the trust I have been given and I am proud to be able to represent the European federation that promotes the value of food supplements as a safeguard for the maintenance of consumer health. I will make available to all EHPM members my expertise developed in the course of my long experience in the field for market protection and for a more harmonised European legislation in the interests of industry and consumers.”