Cynthia Barstow

Cynthia Barstow is a marketing faculty member at the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, where she teaches Marketing for Health & Wellness, Sustainability Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Advertising, and other courses. Recognized as one of the New Hope Network’s Top 24 Changemakers in the natural products industry, she has brought students to industry expos for more than twenty-five years. She currently hosts ShelfSense: Stories Behind Our Stuff, a podcast featuring purpose-driven companies, sustainability leaders, and innovators shaping healthier marketplaces. 

Barstow is founder of Protect Our Breasts, established in 2011 and now part of Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, advancing safer consumer products and packaging. Barstow has consulted with natural and organic brands for many years, is author of The Eco-Foods Guide, and speaks frequently on sustainable marketing, systems thinking, biomimicry, consumer health, and the future of responsible business. Her work bridges academia, industry, and public education through meaningful collaboration and innovation.

Industry Presentations:

• The Value of Anecdotal: Listening to Gen Z Consumers, Expo West, Anaheim, CA (March 2026)

• BCPP Gala Honoree, San Francisco, CA (May 2025)

• The Plastic Supply Chain, Organic Confluence, Washington, DC (May 2023)

• Getting Certified in Organic, Expo East (Sept. 2022) and Expo West (March 2023)

• What Chemicals of Concern are in Your Packaging?, Expo East (Sept. 2022)

• What’s with All the Plastic? Safer Packaging is Sustainable Packaging, Expo East (Sept. 2019)

• Big Thinking for Sustainable Packaging, Expo West (March 2019)

• State of the Industry: Disrupting for Good in 2018 and Beyond, Expo East (Sept. 2018)

• Organic Blockchain Revolution, Expo East (Sept. 2018)

• Sounds Good, but What About the Chemicals?, Expo East 2017, Baltimore, MD (Sept. 2017)

• Toxins in Products Retailer Staff Training, Cambridge, MA (November 2016)

• Packaging Imperatives: Where We Are & Where We…Expo West, Anaheim, CA (March 2016)

Fall:

• Future of Millennials Purchasing Values, Expo West, Anaheim, CA (March 2015)

• Is Your Store Full of Toxins? SOHO Natural Products Expo, Orlando, FL (Dec. 2014)

• Endocrine Disruptors: What Your Customers Want, Expo East, Baltimore, MD (Sept. 2014)

• What’s Next: Trends in Organic, All Things Organic, Expo East, Baltimore, MD (Sept. 2013)

• Fourth Annual American Council for Medicinally Active Plants (June 2013)

• Organic Entrepreneurship, Slow Living Summit, Brattleboro, VT (June 2012)

• Mentoring, Women in Naturals Anaheim, Expo West, CA (March 2012)

• The New Generation of Organic, The Organic Summit, Baltimore, MD (October 2011)

• Online & In-Store Classroom, Expo East, Boston, MA (October 2010)Social Media Savvy for Seafood, International Seafood Show, Boston, MA (March 2010)

• Organics in a Slowing Economy, Expo East, Boston, MA (October 2009)

• The Meaning of Organic, Global Food & Style Expo, Chicago, IL (April 2008)

• Future Harvest Keynote, Hagerstown, MD (January 2008)

• NASULG: Food Systems Leadership Institute, Burlington, VT (June 2007)

• Communicating the Organic Benefit, All Things Organic, Chicago, IL (May 2007)

• Organic Trade Association Board Meeting, Rutland, VT (July 2006)

• IQPC Marketing Natural & Organic Products, San Diego, CA (January 2005)

• “Setting the Table” Northeast SARE Conference, Burlington, VT (October 2004)

• Organic Training Conference, Albany, NY (February 2004)

• American Society for Horticulture Sciences Conference, Providence, RI (October 2003)

• Society for Nutrition Education Conference, Philadelphia, PA (May 2003)

• Natural Products Expo West, Anaheim, CA (March 2003)

• The Future of Food & Farming Conference, Wilmington, DE (December 2002)

• Tufts University’s Eco-Labels Conference, Boston, MA (November 2002)

• Green Festival, San Francisco, CA (November 2002)

• The Soul of Agriculture Conference, Durham, NH (October 2002)

Author/Speaker The Eco-Foods Guide: What’s Good for the Earth is Good for You! New Society Publishers, October 2002

- BookSense 76 selection March/April 2003 Appearances: 2002-3 Television: Good Day Atlanta Fox 5, NYC News 12, Asheville News 12

2002-3 Radio Shows:

WOR Radio Network NYC, WPLJ (ABC) AM NYC, WBAI, NYC KGNU, Boulder, CO, KPFA, Berkley, CA, KCFR/Pacifica Network, Chico, CA Powernomics Network, Washington D.C. LIVE 105/KITS-FM, San Francisco, CA KGO Newstalk, San Francisco, CA, WGUN, Atlanta, GA, Twin Cities 97, Minneapolis, MN Healthy Talk Radio Network, Clearwater, FL WBCN-FM Boston, MA WRKO The Talk Station, Boston, MA WBIX-FM, Boston, MA Madison, WI WDEV Radio Vermont, Burlington, VT WDST-FM, Woodstock, NY Wisdom Radio Network, Bluefield, WV The River, Northampton, MA WFCR, Amherst

• Australis Aquaculture, Turners Falls, MA (2011)

• Bar Harbor Seafood, Whiting, ME (2011)

• Quality Certification Services, Gainesville, FL (2011)

• Cyclops Frozen Greek Yogurt, New Zealand (2010)

• CSRWire, Springfield, MA (2009)

• MegaFoods, Boston, MA (2009)

• The Tea Room, American County, Napa, CA (2009)

• Bee Raw Honey, Brooklyn, NY (2009)

• Agricultural Justice Eco-label Project, RAFI, Pittsboro, NC (2008)

• Pennsylvania State Apple Eco-label Project, Biglerville, PA (2007)

• Ambassador Organics Biodynamic Foods – Carol Moseley Braun, Chicago, IL (2006)

• Hot Mama’s Foods, Northampton, MA (2006)

• Chang Naturals, Amherst, MA (2006/2007)

• Thompson Organic Chocolates, Meriden, CT(2006)

Trade Publications: Natural Foods Merchandiser, Natural Farmer, Natural Grocery Buyer, Progressive Grocer, Produce Reporter

Consumer Publications:

Vegetarian Times, Mother Earth News