The legislation targets lipotropics, which are found in foods including lean cuts of beef, chicken, turkey, and fish; thermogens, which are found in products containing caffeine; and muscle building supplements such as amino acids and vitamin D.
The bill’s sponsors claim that the legislation is necessary because of an association between supplements and eating disorders, but the press release notes that no such association has been proven. NPA has filed a Freedom of Information Act request with FDA to determine if any such association exists, and found no link between supplements and eating disorders.
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The same proposal was introduced and referred to the New York Assembly’s Consumer Affairs and Protection Committee last year on March 12, 2020, where it died in committee. In the press release, NPA notes that the association has formed aggressive grassroots campaigns which not only killed the 2020 bill inNew York, but also killed similar proposals inMassachusetts,Illinois, and California.“No one benefits from this except large online retailers, and it comes at the expense of brick-and-mortar stores that have been especially hard hit by the pandemic. Local health food stores have been declared essential by federal and state governments because they provide critical supplies that people need during the pandemic. We urge the legislature to reject this dangerous proposal,” said Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D., President and CEO of NPA, in the press release. “Prohibition of popular consumer products almost never works. Prohibiting the sale of products by licensed retailers in New York will only make consumers more vulnerable to fly-by-night outfits selling fake products and illegal drugs masquerading as supplements.”
NPA intends to launch a new grassroots campaign against this proposal.
