Sarah Burden has worked in the natural foods industry for more than 20 years, starting out in a vitamin aisle in downtown Chicago. Since the early 2000s, consumer demographics and education expectations have changed dramatically, Burden says.
“When I first applied to work in the vitamin aisle, the first thing they asked me was where you got your degree in nutrition. And today, when you get a job in the vitamin aisle, even at the most well-known health food store, they don’t grill you about where you got your qualifications. They just want to know if you can provide great customer service and help people.”
“And of course, today, anyone can walk into a vitamin store or a vitamin aisle. Maybe they’ve seen something on social media, maybe their child’s soccer coach said something.”
Currently, she works as VP of Sales at Radicle Science, a platform that provides affordable, AI-powered clinical trials.
Baden stressed the need for brands to adhere to their marketing strategies to maintain credibility and trust, and said clinical trials such as those being conducted at Radicle Science are key in developing regulatory compliant product claims.
“Some of the companies that came in because they had a scientific background may not have had much knowledge of the regulatory environment for dietary supplements,” Baden said.
“I’ve talked to a lot of people who are really deep in the science, and they’re just astonished. They say, ‘But wait, if this product really does lower cholesterol, you can’t tell people?’ And I say, ‘I know, do you know about DSHEA?’ But some people don’t.”
