2025 Annual Member Report
A Message from Our President & CEO
As I reflect on 2025, I am proud of how our industry demonstrated resilience and momentum amid global uncertainty. While external pressures continued to challenge businesses across Canada, we also saw a growing response to Canadian-made products, an encouraging signal of trust in the quality, innovation, and values that define our natural, organic, and wellness industry.
Bringing our community together remained a core focus of ours. We hosted successful events across the country, including CHFA NOW Vancouver, where we kicked the weekend off with the CHFA Mixer, a new space designed for our industry to connect and celebrate together. At CHFA NOW Toronto, we proudly unveiled our newly revitalized CHFA Industry Awards, recognizing excellence and leadership across the sector. We also continued to build regional engagement through Industry Night Out events in Calgary and Montréal, strengthening local connections coast to coast.
Advocacy remained at the heart of our work. In 2025, we navigated a federal election while continuing the fight to protect access to natural health products. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the CHFA team and our member companies, natural health products were named in the federal Red Tape Reduction report. We continued to champion support for Bill C-224, which replaced Bill C-268 following the election (repealing natural health products from the definition of ‘therapeutic products’), and met with 30 newly elected and returning Members of Parliament during our October Hill Day to ensure decision-makers clearly understood the issues facing our industry.
We also expanded our policy leadership through the launch of our inaugural Ottawa Regulatory Forum, which drew strong engagement and featured a highly attended MP reception. Beyond supplements, we continued to support non-GMO labelling and advanced regulatory priorities. We represented our industry abroad through trade missions, helping members unlock new opportunities and expand into international markets.
From delivering timely consumer insights to increasing media exposure for our industry to creating more ways for members to connect, learn, and grow, everything we do is made possible by the strength and support of our membership.
To our members, partners, and stakeholders, thank you for your continued trust and collaboration. Together, we are not only navigating change but actively shaping the future of Canada’s natural, organic, and wellness industry.
Aaron Skelton President & CEO
A Look Back at our 2025 Events
We Hosted Big Events Across the Country:
Highlights from our CHFA Industry Awards
Congrats to Matt Breach for winning the John Holtmann Leadership Award
Congrats to Randy Whittaker for winning the Willie Pelzer Hall of Fame Award
The CHFA John Holtmann Charity Golf Tournament raised over $9,000 to benefit Community Food Centres Canada
Advocating for What Matters to You and Your Business
We collaborated with government on important issues for our members in the food industry:
2025 Organic Standards Review
Consumer awareness campaigns for Supplemented
Foods and Front of Pack (FOP) Labelling
Non-Alcoholic Beverage Labelling
Non-GMO Labelling
Food for Special Dietary Use
Food Regulatory Modernization
Advancing Sustainability:
Plastics and Recyclability
Health Canada Proposal for a Mandatory Packaging Review Program
Federal Plastics Registry
20 Working Group Meetings
Advocacy
Keeping up the fight for our Natural Health Products:
NHPs in Red Tape Reduction
Support of new Bill C-224
(replaces Bill C-268 from our previous parliament)
Record number of Hill Day meetings with both Government and Opposition parties
Very well attended MP reception held at our CHFA Ottawa Regulatory Forum
Over 1 million post cards sent to MPs across Canada
Supporting Your Business to Go Global
Building Strategic Partnerships: Promoting the NOW sector to Trade Commissioners and industry partners; leveraging funding opportunities to organize and support trade missions.
International Buyer & Partner Engagement:
Welcoming buyers from Panama and the Philippines at the Vancouver show; engaging with industry partners such as Alibaba and Reed Sinopharm Exhibitions.
Two Outgoing Trade Missions:
China International Natural Health & Nutrition Expo (NHNE); China International Import Expo (CIIE).
Webinars: Hosting webinars focused on unlocking export opportunities to China.
Building Up the Community
Showcased member companies, industry trends and educated the consumer about natural, organic and wellness across national, regional and trade publications.
Lynsey Walker talking about Top Wellness trends Canadians will be shopping for in 2026!
Helped members better understand the Canadian consumer with 4 new insights reports.
Visited many members to share insights and hear from them about how we can best support their needs.
A Message from the Board:
On behalf of the Audit and Risk Committee and the CHFA Board of Directors, I am pleased to share the audited financial statements for the year ending December 31, 2025, as approved by the Board.
The Association reached a significant milestone in 2025, with membership climbing to an all-time high of 1,420 members. This growth, combined with sustained engagement across our trade shows and events, reflects the continued relevance essential role of the CHFA to the natural health industry. A further milestone was the completion of the acquisition of the Association Canadienne des Produits Naturels (ACPN), representing natural health product suppliers based in Quebec and expanding CHFA’s national penetration.
Our reserve funds reflect a year of transition and investment. The remaining balance of the Strategic Reserve Fund was drawn down to cover the final expenses of the successful Save Our Supplements (SOS) campaign as it reached its natural conclusion. We plan to replenish this This fund will be replenished in future years. From the Capital Assets Reserve Fund, we recognized a portion of the expenses incurred in 2024 related to the implementation of our new website and member database, which will continue to be recognized over the life of the contract. The Quebec Reserve Fund reflects the ACPN acquisition activity described above.
With a record membership base and key strategic initiatives now behind us, CHFA enters 2026 from a position of strength. Our focus turns to deepening the value we deliver to members — through expanded advocacy, richer market leading industry insights, and the full realization of our new member technologies.
Mathew Holtmann Chair, CHFA Board of Directors