Washington, D.C.—The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) pulled together more than 60 dietary supplement industry leaders to participate in its annual Day on the Hill.The 2016 event was held June 8.

The lobbying event gave industry members the chance to have “in-depth, face-to-face conversations with key legislators and their staff on issues critical to the industry and to the more than 150 million Americans who take supplements,” said Mike Greene, CRN’s vice president of government relations in a press release.

CRN organized more than 60 meetings with legislators and hosted several featured speakers such as Representatives Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Jared Polis (D-CO) and John Shimkus (R-IL), and Senators John Boozman (R-AK) and Joe Manchin (D-WV). Top-of-mind issues CRN members discussed during meetings included sharing information about a new dietary supplement product registry recently announced by CRN; encouraging legislators to support funding for FDA’s new Office of Dietary Supplement Programs; and supporting the inclusion of multivitamins in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Women, Infant, Children (WIC) special supplemental programs.

In addition, participants and congressional staff took part in a Dietary Supplement Caucus, where the group heard a presentation about scientific developments in nutrition and dietary supplements from Michael T. Murray, N.D., director of product science and innovation, at Natural Factors.

CRN announced some findings from its2016 Economic Impact of the Dietary Supplement Industryanalysis, which shows “that the dietary supplement industry contributes $121.6 billion to the U.S. economy, creates 754,645 jobs nationwide, and pays $38.4 billion in wages, illustrating the industry’s significant and growing economic contribution.”

CRN's report also suggests that more than two-thirds of Americans take dietary supplements.

Published in WholeFoods Magazine Online, 6/13/16