ESSNA wins silver at the Association Excellence Awards 2018

The European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA), for whom the Whitehouse team manages the secretariat, has won a silver award for the ‘Most Innovative Development by an Association’ category at the Association Excellence Awards 2018.

The award recognises ESSNA’s public safety campaign, launched in two stages by the Whitehouse team first in 2013 and then in 2017, which works to keep consumers of sports nutrition products healthy, knowledgeable and safe.

The sports nutrition sector has seen its fair share of negative press over the years, despite the fact that the vast majority of the industry complies with the strict laws put in place for the protection of the public. A minority of irresponsible companies persist in selling illegal products, preying on consumer ignorance and the lack of resources faced by enforcement authorities – and it is this which puts the public at risk and gives the industry a negative rep. As the industry trade association and therefore representative, ESSNA decided to tackle this issue by taking the responsibility for the removal of these non-compliant products itself, as well as taking on the task of communicating directly with the public, educating the sports nutrition consumer on what they should be using. Along the way ESSNA has flagged over 400 potentially dangerous products, forming and cultivating crucial relationships with regulatory bodies and enforcement authorities across the continent, ultimately protecting the integrity of the industry and the safety of its consumers.

The Association Excellence Awards Judging Panel 2018 said:

“Lack of effective enforcement is a challenge for many trade associations, and in this sector there are obviously many agencies involved in the UK and in Europe.  It’s great to see a trade association proactively taking action themselves against non-compliance and also educating companies who are unaware of their non-compliance and also consumers.  The ESSNA trademark is a great idea, backed up by a Code of Practice, all reinforcing their position as industry experts.”

For more information on ESSNA’s work, please visit http://www.essna.com/.

For more information on how we can help your trade association, please get in touch with mayar.raouf@whitehousecomms.com