Association Warns Tariffs Would Harm U.S. Jobs, Public Health, and Consumer Access
The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the leading trade association for the dietary supplement and functional food industry, announced today it has submitted formal comments to the U.S. Department of Commerce urging the agency to exclude dietary supplements and their ingredients from actions arising from the Department’s Section 232 national security investigation of pharmaceutical imports.
In comments filed May 7, CRN reminded federal officials that “Dietary supplements are not pharmaceuticals.” The submission outlined how supplements and their ingredients—though they may share some Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) codes with pharmaceutical products—serve a vastly different purpose and operate in a distinct marketplace.
“CRN respectfully urges the Department to protect the U.S. dietary supplement industry’s role in supporting the health, jobs, and economy for Americans,” the association wrote. “CRN recommends the Department recognize the differences between pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements and expressly exclude dietary supplements and their ingredients from this Section 232 investigation.”
CRN’s comments highlighted that the dietary supplement industry supports more than 616,000 American jobs, generates nearly $158 billion in total economic output annually, and provides significant tax revenue for federal, state, and local governments. The vast majority of finished dietary supplements consumed in the U.S. are manufactured, packaged, and labeled domestically, even though the ingredients—vitamins, minerals, botanicals, amino acids, and others—are often sourced globally due to practical limitations in domestic production.
The association warned that sector-specific tariffs aimed at pharmaceuticals but inadvertently applied to supplements could lead to severe unintended consequences, including supply chain disruptions, product shortages, increased costs to consumers, and the offshoring of U.S. manufacturing jobs. CRN also raised concerns that tariff-induced supply chain stress could elevate risks of adulteration, with increasing pressure to cut corners to control costs.
In addition, CRN underscored the public health role of dietary supplements, noting that approximately 75% of American adults use supplements to support their health and wellness. Supplements also deliver cost savings to the U.S. healthcare system. CRN’s Supplements to Savings analysis showed that regimens such as calcium and vitamin D for bone health and probiotics for digestive support can prevent costly health conditions, generating billions in potential healthcare savings.
While the Department’s inquiry focuses on whether pharmaceutical imports pose a national security risk, CRN clarified that the availability of dietary supplements does not create the type of immediate or strategic vulnerability that the investigation seeks to address. Rather, tariffs could reduce access to products that enhance Americans’ health and well-being.
CRN acknowledged that while some dietary supplement ingredients can be sourced domestically, most cannot feasibly or scalably be produced in the U.S. in the near term. The association also encouraged the Department to adopt a nuanced approach to trade policy that takes into account the realities of global supply chains and distinguishes between ingredients with robust U.S. manufacturing capacity and the many that depend on international sourcing.
“Consumers depend on affordable, high-quality supplements to maintain their health, and U.S. manufacturers depend on stable ingredient supply chains to deliver those products,” said Steve Mister, CRN’s President and CEO. “Tariffs designed to protect national security should not limit access to dietary supplements, thereby endangering American jobs and public health.”
CRN stands ready to work with the Department of Commerce and other federal agencies to ensure that national security objectives can be achieved without harming the dietary supplement industry, its workforce, or the millions of Americans who rely on these products daily.
About the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN)
The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973, is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing 180+ 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. Follow us on X @CRN_Supplements and LinkedIn.