Washington, D.C., May 11, 2016—In response to Senator Richard Blumenthal’s (D-CT) announcement of his intent to offer an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would require all dietary supplement products sold on military bases (including commissaries or retail stores) to be verified by an independent third-party selected by FDA, 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:
“CRN opposes this amendment because it is another form of pre-market approval that would be duplicative for companies already following the law. While third-party verification programs are valid and commendable options for companies who choose to find ways to differentiate themselves for their customers, to mandate third-party certification as a requirement of sale would add costs that could be prohibitive for companies, and would likely be passed on to consumers. Even more important, and overlooked by this amendment, are the laws and regulations already in place that require all companies marketing dietary supplements to abide by good manufacturing practices (GMPs), labeling requirements and a host of other regulations. Additionally, the amendment would inconvenience servicemen and women who would have to leave the base or search the internet to purchase the supplement products they choose to use to help keep them healthy. CRN is deeply committed to ridding the marketplace of bad actors and keeping consumers safe. However, we believe that this amendment does not address those concerns, and instead would create unnecessary burdens for responsible companies manufacturing safe and beneficial products.”