Washington, D.C. —Timing is everything and it's a big day for the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) and the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) to meet on Capitol Hill for the annual Day on the Hill.

Review of the Farm Bill of 2018 is set to begin, with the industry in an all-out battle to prevent removal of last-minute moves that would jeopardize the status of CBD and hemp.

During the event, industry executives such as company presidents, regulatory experts, and government relations executives come from all over the nation to have the opportunity to engage with Congressional offices about the benefits of herbal supplements, highlight the mainstream status of dietary supplements, and build and maintain relationships between dietary supplement companies and legislators. The event aims to allow companies to both play an active role in the advocation of reasonable regulation, as well as put a face to the dietary supplement industry.

Following an orientation, open house briefing meetings between  representatives for companies such as Pharmavite LLC, Vitality Works, and Healthy Directions, LLC with congressmen and women will begin the Day on the Hill events. The event will also include a senate briefing between current Hungarian Ambassador to the United States László Szabó, and President and CEO of  Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), Steve Mister. Finally, meetings between company representatives and key senate offices and committees Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), Agriculture, Appropriation and Judiciary will take place until the end of the event at 5pm EST. Additionally, there will be a breakout session for members advocating passage of the Hemp Farming Act, which is legislation that AHPA formally advocates.

It’s in these meetings that companies and their representatives will cover most issues that the supplement industry currently faces, and proposals for solutions to some of those issues. CRN/AHPA have outlined some advocacy points for their members to cover during their meetings with representatives which include supporting inclusion of multivitamins into Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program or SNAP( formerly and commonly referred to as food stamps), encouraging adequate funding for FDA's Office of Dietary Supplement Programs, promoting finished product registry for dietary supplements, and promoting guidance on Good Agricultural Collection Practices (GACP).