The Natural Products Association (NPA) has offered its support of the Dietary Supplement Full Implementation and Enforcement Act of 2010, legislation that would provide the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with additional resources to enforce the strong, existing laws governing supplements, while also holding FDA accountable for their activities with the added resources. The bill was introduced by Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT).

“While some have called for additional regulations on supplements, Senators Harkin and Hatch understand that the real need is to fully enforce the stringent statutes already on the books, to the full extent of the law,” said NPA Executive Director and CEO John Gay. “The way to get the bad actors out of the industry is by putting more cops on the street, plain and simple.”

Until recently, the FDA experienced year after year of budget cuts, limiting the resources it needed to effectively regulate the industries under its watch. The Dietary Supplement Full Implementation and Enforcement Act would authorize additional funds to the FDA specifically for enforcement of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), the 1994 bill that established the regulatory framework for supplements. The bill also requires FDA to file annual reports to Congress about how the Administration is regulating dietary supplements.

Further, the measure would tighten product-specific enforcement, require the release of the long-awaited New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) guidance, and double funding given to the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) to expand research and consumer information about dietary supplements.

NPA supported a similar full implementation bill introduced by Sens. Harkin and Hatch in the 108^th Congress.

Natural Products Association

The Natural Products Association (NPA), founded in 1936, is the largest and oldest non-profit organization dedicated to the natural products industry. The NPA represents more than 10,000 retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors of natural products, including foods, dietary supplements, and health/beauty aids. As the leading voice of the natural products industry, the Natural Products Association's mission is to advocate for the rights of consumers to have access to products that will maintain and improve their health, and for the rights of retailers and suppliers to sell these products. For more information about the Natural Products Association, visit http://www.npainfo.org/.