Michael Ford, NNFA Executive Director, CEO, Passed Away in DenverMichael Ford, NNFA Executive Director, CEO, Passed Away in Denver

DENVER--Michael Q. Ford, executive director and chief executive officer of the National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA), died unexpectedly of an aortic aneurysm on Sept. 23. Fordhad just met with Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) officials in Washington and was on his way to speak at the Natural Business Summit in Boulder, Colo.

Ford joined NNFA in 1994; his efforts were instrumental in the passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), along with other legislation concerning natural products. In 1995, he served on a special U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) committee that developed guidelines for the use of stronger, more explicit labeling of products containing ephedra. Recently he helped the NNFA establish a mandatory Good Manufacturing Practices accreditation program for its members, and presented the FDA with the NNFA's recommendations for labeling of genetically modified foods.

Services were held in Memphis, Tenn., Sept. 27. Ford is survived by his wife in Laguna Beach, Calif., and his parents in Memphis.