North Miami Beach, FL —Stanley Jacobson, owner of Country Health Store for 21 years and two-time president of the National Nutritional Foods Association [now NPA], passed on Aug. 7 at age 81. He is survived by his wife of 60 years Debra and his two children Margie and Andrew, daughter-in-law Heidi and two grandchildren Amanda and Hudson.
Jacobson's efforts were instrumental in passing DSHEA, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994.
"He was loved and respected by all and he will be missed. His loss will be felt for the rest of our days," said his son, Andrew. "May he rest in peace as he is deserving of that."
WholeFoods Magazinereaders in 1985 recognized Stan with the first Whole Foods Achievement Award.
“We lost a legend and a friend,” says Howard Wainer, president ofWholeFoods Magazine. “He did so much to help our industry – from legislation to education.”
While campaigning for the presidency of NNFA in 1985, Jacobson said there were two underlying reasons for his candidacy: “I would like to see our industry get the credit that it deserves for the work it has done, and I want to help put the association on a strong business footing.
“This industry has been largely responsible for turning the health ‘fad’ into a real way of life for mainstream America and creating the major market we all work in. Everybody’s talking about nutrition, and it is the mom and pop NNFA member stores that have created this national awareness.
“The office of NNFA president has been called a thankless job, and it’s obviously a tough position to handle,” he continued. “But it’s important to have a president who is aggressive, experienced and knowledgeable if our industry is to go forward. I wouldn’t run if I didn’t think that I could make a difference.”
We say he did.
