WASHINGTON, D.C., May 18, 2009  — The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the leading trade association for the dietary supplement industry, today announced creation of the CRN Foundation, an educational affiliate of CRN.  The CRN Foundation is a non-profit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and will become the center of many of CRN’s educational activities and research projects.

According to CRN President/CEO Steve Mister, who will also serve as Executive Director for the CRN Foundation, “Establishing a non-profit educational organization under the CRN banner was a logical next step for our member companies.  More than 150 million Americans take dietary supplements each year, and the companies that manufacture and market these popular products have a responsibility to educate people about the responsible use of dietary supplements and their ingredients, and the role of these products as part of a culture of wellness.  Through this foundation, we hope to be able to increase funding for programs that will help us reach these objectives.”

The CRN Foundation has a six-fold mission:

• To provide consumers with information and education about the benefits and safety of dietary supplements and functional food as part of a healthy lifestyle that allows consumers to make more informed choices about their usage of these products;
• To conduct research on consumer usage of dietary supplements and other behaviors that contribute to a healthy lifestyle; 
• To provide healthcare professionals with information and education to understand the proper uses of dietary supplements in their practices;
• To provide nutrition and healthcare researchers with better understanding of appropriate research models for studying nutrition and dietary supplement usage;
• To promote truthful and non-misleading advertising of dietary supplements to consumers through programs that encourage self-regulation of advertising by industry members; and
• To promote rigorous research that utilizes dietary supplements and nutritional ingredients to assess their benefits and safety.

As a non-profit 501(c)(3), all donations to the CRN Foundation are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by the law. The CRN Foundation Board will be overseen by a Board of Directors consisting of a minimum of six directors and a maximum of 21 and will be announced at a future date.  More information on the CRN Foundation will soon be available at www.crnusa.org/CRNfoundation.

Note to Editor: The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973, is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing dietary supplement manufacturers and ingredient suppliers. In addition to complying with a host of federal and state regulations governing dietary supplements, CRN members also agree to adhere to voluntary guidelines for manufacturing,  marketing and CRN’s Code of Ethics.  Visit www.crnusa.org.

The CRN Foundation was established in 2009 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization for the purpose of educating people about the beneficial, safe and responsible use of dietary supplements and their ingredients as part of a culture of wellness.  Visit www.crnusa.org/CRNfoundation.