Showing Congress the Truth on Supplements

The Natural Products Association (NPA) and the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), in cooperation with the Dietary Supplement Caucus, hosted a luncheon briefing on Capitol Hill today in an effort to show members of Congress and their staff the true view of the supplement industry. Called “Dietary Supplement Industry Facts, Figures and Fiction,” the briefing featured data and other information presented by Patrick Rea, publisher and editorial director of Nutrition Business Journal, who sought to counteract the misinformation and misperception amplified by various recent media coverage of supplements.

A decent crowd—Congress is currently in recess—took in various slides showing the size, growth and scope of the industry, which Rea colored with comments on the industry’s drive, integrity and perseverance (a blip in meal replacement use reflected a brief era of rampant low-carb popularity). Among the poignant tidbits Rea parlayed to the staffers, a slide showing the top ten or so supplement companies included many well-known pharmaceutical companies, suggesting the industry isn’t a bunch of rogue, inexperienced or non-scientific players. Also notable was the information on supplement use by doctors and nurses (both have high usage rates), as well as how many such practitioners recommend supplements to patients (also a very high percentage).

Of course, the question came in from the audience about what claims supplement marketers and products can use. Rea, CRN President Steve Mister and NPA Science regulatory and science VP Dan Fabricant educated the crowd on the various types of possible claims and the regulatory oversight of each kind. The interested staffers appeared to learn something about supplement claims, which can only be a good thing.

This is one small step in helping members of Congress see the truth about supplements.