Washington, D.C., October 28, 2016—The Council for Responsible Nutrition Foundation (CRNF) today paid tribute during its annual conference in California to the ten-year anniversary of its partnership with the National Advertising Division (NAD) on a self-regulatory advertising monitoring program that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has called “an excellent example of self-regulation.” The program executed by the NAD, a service of the advertising industry administered through the Council of Better Bureaus (CBBB), monitors, reviews and challenges dietary supplement advertisements to ensure that ads are truthful and non-misleading. To date, NAD has completed over 250 challenges.
In celebration of the ten-year anniversary, CRN released a four-minute video demonstrating the importance of the program to the industry and to its consumers. Said Steve Mister, president and CEO, CRN, “I’m very proud of CRN’s members that 10 years ago they took what I think was a brave decision to put a stake in the ground and say we’re going to do something about misleading advertising.”
CRNF has provided grants through 2017, totaling more than $2.1 million since the program’s inception in 2016.
In June 2016 at the CRN/ACI Fourth Annual Legal, Regulatory, and Compliance Forum on Dietary Supplements, the FTC issued a statement from FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez stating, “The CRN/NAD initiative shows just how impactful meaningful self-regulation can be…the program has been a valuable complement to the FTC’s own enforcement efforts to eliminate fraud in this industry.”
At the program’s launch in 2006, CRN urged the dietary supplement industry to police the advertising marketplace through an industry campaign headlined “There’s a new sheriff in town. You!” Today, CRN unveiled a new promotional campaign geared to the industry in support of the program. The new ads replace the sheriff with a super hero and urge the industry to “protect our consumers” [from misleading advertising] with the headline “Stand Up for Truth in Advertising” and tagged “We’re making the future of advertising safer.”
C. Lee Peeler, president and CEO of the Advertising Self-Regulatory Council, which sets the policies and procedures for NAD, and EVP, CBBB, summed up the importance of the program, “Self-regulation is good for consumers, it’s good for honest competitors, and it’s good for the industry to promote its reputation for truthfulness.”
More information on the history of the CRN/NAD program is available in a newly released Program Milestones backgrounder. To learn how to file a competitive claim or use a free tool that assists dietary supplement companies in avoiding misleading, non-substantiated or deceptive advertising claims, visit CRN’s website.
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 and @wannabewell and on Facebook.
About Advertising Industry Self-Regulation: The Advertising Self-Regulatory Council establishes the policies and procedures for advertising industry self-regulation, including the National Advertising Division (NAD), Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), National Advertising Review Board (NARB), Electronic Retailing Self-Regulation Program (ERSP) and Online Interest-Based Advertising Accountability Program (Accountability Program.) The self-regulatory system is administered by the Council of Better Business Bureaus.
Self-regulation is good for consumers. The self-regulatory system monitors the marketplace, holds advertisers responsible for their claims and practices and tracks emerging issues and trends. Self-regulation is good for advertisers. Rigorous review serves to encourage consumer trust; the self-regulatory system offers an expert, cost-efficient, meaningful alternative to litigation and provides a framework for the development of a self-regulatory solution to emerging issues.
To learn more about supporting advertising industry self-regulation, please visit us at: www.asrcreviews.org.