DSHEA and the FDA
There is more going on in Washington, D.C., than debate over the debt limit and it involves the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). On June 30, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced S. 1310, the Dietary Supplement Labeling Act. The bill was written in response to his concerns regarding drinks and food that contain supplements that hold potential risks (aka Lazy Cakes, brownies laced with melatonin). Unfortunately, if enacted, the bill would go much farther and place enormous burden on the supplement industry – who stand in opposition to the bill. At the moment the bill is not moving. We are watching it closely and will keep you alerted. In addition, in early July, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published the “Draft Guidance for Industry: Dietary Supplements: New Dietary Ingredient Notifications and Related Issues.” The long awaited guidance (not a regulation and not yet enforceable) stunned the supplement industry as legal review begins to unearth the potential for the severe and adverse impact on the companies from which NDs and consumers purchase. Click here to write your Senators and Representatives. Let them know that the FDA is overstepping its bounds and if left unattended will unfairly restrict consumer access to high quality products that have a significant impact on health status.