LESTER BURKS

Passion for the natural food industry, and particularly for the independent retailer.

Lester G Burks, CEO of Life Line Foods, LLC, has been active as an advocate for the natural products industry, staying abreast of laws and regulations affecting the industry and has worked to help form legislative opinion for DSHEA (Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act of 1994) and NOP (National Organic Program) for the USDA. Lester also spent 15 years on the Science and ComPLI Committee for the Natural Products Association, and has been an active board member of SENPA for the past 9 years, serving as treasurer for the last 2 years.

Lester believes that the Independent Natural Products Retailers are the backbone of the industry, and have the ability to disseminate and provide vital alternative healthcare information to their customers; therefore, he is a strong supporter in the industry for these Independent Natural Products Retailers.

He has spent his career in the Natural Products Industry, beginning by working alongside his parents in their health food bakery business, Life Line Foods, which produced bakery products under the brand name, Breads for Life. Lester purchased Life Line Foods in 1988 and developed the Breads for Life brand into the #1 Selling Sprouted Whole Grain Bread and produced the first frozen organic pizza distributed in Health Food Stores. Another first was the development of Liquid Dietary Supplements under the brand name Buried Treasure. This made Life Line Foods not only a health food manufacturer but also a producer of Nutriceuticals.

Lester makes his home in Pikeville, Tennessee, and has a variety of outside interests including farming, gardening, woodworking, sailing, and flying.