Washington, D.C.—The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) hasrespondedto the statement made by Scott Gottlieb, M.D., commissioner of the FDA, regarding the new Dietary Supplement Working Group.

Steve Mister, president and CEO of CRN, said, “CRN welcomes the announcement from Dr. Gottlieb on the agency’s efforts to re-examine its policies and approaches for dietary supplements. He’s correct that the dietary supplement industry has grown tremendously since the enactment of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) in 1994, due to the emerging science that further supports the health benefits of these products and the continued growth in consumers’ interest to take more active roles in their health and wellness. We look forward to learning more about the recommendations of FDA’s Dietary Supplement Working Group and to working with the agency in evaluating these approaches.”

Mister applauded Dr. Gottlieb’s enforcement of the law against those who mismarket drug ingredients as dietary supplements, and his willingness to work with the dietary supplement industry on Supplement Facts label changes.

Mister said that it is “appropriate that FDA periodically re-evaluate its regulatory tools and procedures,” and pointed out that CRN has encouraged FDA to engage in more enforcement and to use theSupplement OWL, an online registry of dietary supplement products.

Mister added, “CRN will analyze any new proposals from the Working Group through the lens of DSHEA and the critical balance it strikes to protect public health while assuring consumer access to a wide range of healthful and safe products marketed as dietary supplements.”