CRN Opposes Amendment to National Defense Authorization Act—Amendment could cause more harm than good

Washington, D.C., June 12, 2019—In response to an amendment introduced by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which would require additional reporting systems for adverse event reports that may be associated with dietary supplements and mandate that data be included in the electronic medical records of members of the military, the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the leading trade association for the dietary supplement and functional food industry, issued the following statement:

Statement by Steve Mister, President & CEO, CRN:

“More than 170 million Americans take dietary supplements each year, and the number one priority of CRN and its members is to ensure their safety, including that of our service men and women. We share Senator Blumenthal’s commitment to protecting Americans and reaffirm our unwavering support for the federal system of collecting reports of adverse events associated with dietary supplements, a law we helped to enact. However, we respectfully disagree with—and oppose—his amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which would require additional reporting systems for adverse event reports that may be associated with dietary supplements and mandate that data be included in the electronic medical records of members of the military. 

The amendment is both redundant with the federal system of adverse event reporting maintained by FDA and, in other respects, undermines that system, and discourages candor with healthcare practitioners by service men and women about their supplement use. That does not enhance the safety and well-being of our soldiers and confounds the collection of serious adverse events by FDA from all supplement users, both military and civilian. CRN is poised to have discussions with Senator Blumenthal on reasonable ways to protect the military from accessing potentially harmful or illegal products. In the meantime, we oppose any legislation that increases regulatory burden and discourages the use of health products proven to be safe and beneficial.”

Note to Editor: The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973, is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing 150+ dietary supplement and functional food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and companies providing services to those manufacturers and suppliers. In addition to complying with a host of federal and state regulations governing dietary supplements and food in the areas of manufacturing, marketing, quality control and safety, our manufacturer and supplier members also agree to adhere to additional voluntary guidelines as well as to CRN’s Code of Ethics. Visit www.crnusa.org. Follow us on Twitter @CRN_Supplements, Facebook, and LinkedIn