Dietary Supplements

Op-Ed

Another year, another FDA attempt to impose pre-market approval for dietary supplements

13-Mar-2024 By Daniel Fabricant, PhD, President & CEO, Natural Products Association

In this guest column, the Natural Products Association's Dr. Daniel Fabricant outlines his organization's opposition to FDA's proposal for a mandatory product listing for all dietary supplements.

FDA’s 2025 legislative wish list calls for mandatory supplement product listing

12-Mar-2024 By Stephen Daniells

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has outlined its budget and legislative proposals for 2025, with the only dedicated section concerning dietary supplements renewing calls for mandatory product listing and seeking clarifications on the Agency's...

FDA issues final guidance on NDIN procedures, timeframes

05-Mar-2024 By Stephen Daniells

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finalized guidance for industry titled “Dietary Supplements: New Dietary Ingredient Notification Procedures and Timeframes: Guidance for Industry".

ABC Market Report: Dietary supplement sales fell for the first time in 20 years

05-Mar-2024 By Danielle Masterson

Supplement sales jumped in 2020 and 2021 as consumers became hyper-aware of immunity and overall well-being amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, sales in 2022 decreased for the first time since 2003 as the market readjusted.

FDA updates supplements ingredient directory to reflect stakeholder feedback

21-Feb-2024 By Stephen Daniells

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has renamed its Dietary Supplement Ingredient Directory and added classification categories following “some constructive stakeholder feedback”.

Expo West 2024: Our picks of the best supplements-specific education

21-Feb-2024 By Stephen Daniells

The industry's annual pilgrimage to Anaheim is only a couple of weeks away, so we looked at the education session to pick out the key supplements-related sessions that we’ll be adding to our agendas.

Expo West 2024 supplement preview: What’s happening on the show floor

21-Feb-2024 By Asia Sherman

Nearly 3,500 exhibitors are scheduled to attend this year's Expo West natural products trade show at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA.

IPA paper outlines landscape for probiotics as food, supplements and live biotherapeutics

05-Feb-2024 By Stephen Daniells

Probiotics can be used in a variety of products, including foods, dietary supplements and pharmaceuticals (live biotherapeutics), each of which is regulated differently. A new review explores the implications of the intended use on regulatory, product...

COSMOS: Multivitamins linked to improved memory, slower age-related cognitive decline

19-Jan-2024 By Stephen Daniells

Daily multivitamin supplementation may boost episodic memory and slow cognitive in older adults, says new data published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Unlocking the small molecules: Metabolomics for precision health

18-Jan-2024 By Asia Sherman

The emerging field of metabolomics is shifting the conversation around human health towards a personalized approach that is based on the activity of the small molecule metabolites in the body.

One week to go! Register now for NIU’s 4th Annual Business Leaders Forum

17-Jan-2024 By Stephen Daniells

There is still time to register for our Annual Business Leaders Forum, and your chance to ask a burning question (or two) to senior leaders from Gaia Herbs, Nouri, NOW, Pharmavite and The Vitamin Shoppe.

Back to the Future of Nutrition: Revisiting predictions about nutrition and health in 2067

10-Jan-2024 By Stephen Daniells

In 2017, Mark Miller, principal of Kaiviti Consulting, made some bold projections about what nutritional health will look like in 2067. Seven years on, he revisits and updates his what he called “ridiculously excessive speculations”.

California State Health Committee advances restrictive supplement bill

10-Jan-2024 By Stephen Daniells

Attempts to restrict access to weight management supplements for minors took a step forward in California as the State’s Assembly Health Committee advanced a controversial bill on the issue.

‘The cost is credibility’: FDA sends warning letter to Amazon on tainted male sexual products

03-Jan-2024 By Stephen Daniells

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has warned Amazon about “energy enhancing supplements or foods” alleged to contain undeclared sildenafil and tadalafil for male sexual performance.

CRN's Steve Mister on 2023

Where Advocacy Meets Diplomacy: 2023 Demanded a Full Toolbox

21-Dec-2023 By Steve Mister, President & CEO, Council for Responsible Nutrition

As my grandmother used to say, “You get more flies with sugar than you do with vinegar—but a good bug zapper will do the job sometimes too.“ Yes, she was a wise and pragmatic woman.

Thorne taps former Vitamin Shoppe CEO for top job

20-Dec-2023 By Stephen Daniells

Colin Watts, former CEO of The Vitamin Shoppe and president of Weight Watchers Health Solutions, has been named the new CEO of Thorne, Thorne HealthTech’s personalized supplement and testing unit.

2023 in review: NPA on the need for advocates, battling cancerous policy, FDA's reorg, and more

19-Dec-2023 By Daniel Fabricant, PhD, President & CEO, Natural Products Association

It's become too commonplace and cliché to state that the world is very different now than it was just a few years ago. Heck, 2023 is very different at the end than how it began.

Guest article

The Future of Self-Care Depends on Continued Access & Expanded Choice

18-Dec-2023 By Duffy MacKay, SVP, Dietary Supplements, CHPA

The future of self-care is a multifaceted landscape that hinges on access, continued innovation, and a collective effort spanning input from consumers, communities, healthcare providers, regulators, and policymakers.

Editors’ picks: Our favorite articles of 2023

14-Dec-2023 By The NutraIngredients-USA Team

We enjoy writing some articles more than others, whether it’s because of the subject, the impact for industry, the insights from commentators, or other reasons. But which articles did we enjoy writing the most and why?

FDA & Pharmavite join speaker roster for the DSHEA Summit

13-Dec-2023 By Stephen Daniells

Dr Cara Welch, Director of FDA’s Office of Dietary Supplements Programs, and Christine Burdick-Bell, EVP & General Counsel at Pharmavite, have confirmed their participation in the NutraIngredients-USA’s landmark DSHEA Summit.

Guest article

Regulations, reorganization, and the road ahead for dietary supplements and natural products

12-Dec-2023 By Michael McGuffin, President, American Herbal Products Association (AHPA)

As 2023 comes to a close, so too does another year of progress and innovation in the dietary supplement and natural product industries that the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) proudly serves. The growth of newer product categories – such as...

‘There can’t be apathy on this’: NPA sues New York over restrictive dietary supplements law

05-Dec-2023 By Stephen Daniells

“We’ll fight this with all our might,” said NPA’s CEO after his association filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York asserting the recently enacted New York law prohibiting and restricting dietary supplements is...

Announcing the DSHEA Summit: A landmark event bringing together the architects of the law & leading industry voices

04-Dec-2023 By Stephen Daniells

Join Scott Bass, Loren Israelsen, Bob Durkin, Jim Emme, and more industry luminaries for NutraIngredients-USA’s landmark DSHEA Summit.

Elan Sudberg on the steady rise of the Alkemist Assured program

13-Nov-2023 By Stephen Daniells

Calls by Elan Sudberg, CEO of Alkemist Labs, for greater transparency are paying off as the Alkemist Assured program gains traction with brands, ingredient suppliers, and contract manufacturers.

Guest Article

Apple Picking and Drug Preclusion: Let’s Make it a Fair Contest

08-Nov-2023 By Steve Mister, President & CEO, Council for Responsible Nutrition

In this guest article, Steve Mister, President & CEO, Council for Responsible Nutrition, discusses how “surgical amendments to the existing drug preclusion provision” can balance the interests of drugs and supplements and allow innovation in both...

FDA delays response to CRN petition on the drug preclusion clause

03-Nov-2023 By Stephen Daniells

For the second time in two months, the US Food and Drug Administration has declined to respond to a Citizen Petition, citing “competing agency priorities”.

CRN’s Mister on FDA reorg, FTC petition, and state of the market

02-Nov-2023 By Stephen Daniells

Recent statements and conversations with senior officials at the FDA have revealed “an apparent knowledge gap within the upper echelons of the Agency” regarding the regulation of dietary supplements, says Steve Mister, President and CEO of the Council...

Sen. Cramer reintroduces bill to allow supplement purchases with HSA/FSA/HRA

01-Nov-2023 By Stephen Daniells

US Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) has reintroduced legislation to amend the tax code to allow dietary supplements to be purchased with Health Savings Accounts (HSA), Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA), and Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA).

CHFA outlines industry & consumer efforts to push back on NHP regulatory changes

23-Oct-2023 By Stephen Daniells

Proposed and implemented changes to how Health Canada regulates its natural health product (NHP) sector are ‘throwing out a lot of progress’, experts tell NutraIngredients-USA.

Mood support the top growth category for children’s supplements

10-Oct-2023 By Stephen Daniells

After two very good years of growth, sales of children’s supplement have declined over the past 12 months, but another wave of growth could be just around the corner.

CRN’s Andrea Wong examines evolution of research, trends and access to nutrition

09-Oct-2023 By Danielle Masterson

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) held its annual conference in Dana Point, CA, from October 3-6.

Over 90% of US supplement users consider products essential for maintaining health: CRN survey

06-Oct-2023 By Danielle Masterson & Stephen Daniells

Three-quarters of Americans are taking dietary supplements, with 55% being regular users, according to the 2023 CRN Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements.

Jim Kababick on 30 years in the industry: ‘Working together to solve our problems is probably the best thing we’ve done to push the industry forward’

28-Sep-2023 By Stephen Daniells

“If people who don’t understand the industry spent a day looking at what goes on behind the curtain, they’d be blown away,” said Jim Kababick, founder of Flora Research Laboratories, as he looked back on 30 years in the industry.

Bipartisan support for cannabidiol puts FDA, CBD coalitions in spotlight

26-Sep-2023 By Claudia Adrien

Advocates say there’s momentum in Congress to offer regulatory guidance for CBD supplement use.

FTC 'clarifies' claims substantiation of Health Products Compliance Guidance

22-Sep-2023 By Stephen Daniells

Despite language in the 2022 Health Products Compliance Guidance around the need for clinical trials to substantiate health claims, the US Federal Trade Commission has stated that not all claims require that level of substantiation.

Charlotte’s Web-Canopy Growth analysis identifies safe CBD intake levels for supplements

18-Sep-2023 By Claudia Adrien

Upper CBD intake levels ranging from 70 mg to 160 mg per day for dietary supplements are acceptable and do not harm the liver, says a new scientific review commissioned by Canopy Growth Corporation and Charlotte’s Web.

CRN at 50: Our underlying values haven’t changed

18-Sep-2023 By Stephen Daniells

As the Council for Responsible Nutrition celebrates its 50th anniversary, NutraIngredients-USA caught up with Steve Mister, CRN President and CEO, to hear about the association’s history, its commitment to its founding values, and how it is gearing up...

ODSP’s Cara Welch talks FDA priorities and resources in evolved market

15-Sep-2023 By Asia Sherman

The National Institutes of Health kicked off its annual Office of Dietary Supplements Seminar Series this week with a presentation by Dr. Cara Welch on how the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the dietary supplement marketplace.

NPA’s Fabricant on NMN: ‘Taking FDA to Federal Court is expensive, but I don’t see another option’

12-Sep-2023 By Stephen Daniells

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been unable to reach a decision on the requests made in a Citizen Petition about NMN due to “competing agency priorities”, a response that threatens the NMN sector, says Daniel Fabricant, PhD.

GNC and SPINS team up

11-Sep-2023 By Danielle Masterson

The duo is planning to take the VMS category by storm with enhanced research and trends capabilities housed in SPINS’ product intelligence platform.

Top CBD companies’ lackluster sales, profits point to years-long national trend

08-Sep-2023 By Claudia Adrien

The US cannabidiol industry has seen a year-over-year decline in sales, despite attempts to bolster the CBD market with newer products.

Gaia Herbs invites FDA to come visit ‘any time at all’

30-Aug-2023 By Asia Sherman

As part of a new campaign to showcase responsible and rigorous practices in the dietary supplement industry, Gaia Herbs has extended an open invitation to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to inspect its operations.

Sens. Durbin & Blumenthal express concerns over proposed changes to FDA's Supplement Office

26-Aug-2023 By Stephen Daniells

Two of the dietary supplement industry’s most vocal critics in Congress – Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) – have written to the FDA to express concerns about proposed changes to the Office of Dietary Supplement Programs (ODSP).

Jim Jones named as 1st FDA Deputy Commissioner of Human Foods

23-Aug-2023 By Stephen Daniells

The US Food and Drug Administration has selected James “Jim” Jones as the first Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods to lead the Agency’s proposed unified Human Foods Program (HFP).

Study questions omega-3 supplement labeling, calls for increased regulation

23-Aug-2023 By Stephen Daniells

A new paper in JAMA Cardiology that criticizes the use of structure/function claims on omega-3 dietary supplements is “fraught with inaccuracies and never should have made it through the peer review process”, says the Global Organization for EPA and DHA...

cbdMD CSO: ‘It appears that we’re finally making headway in Congress’

22-Aug-2023 By Stephen Daniells

The recent congressional hearing about CBD and subsequent ‘historic’ bicameral Request for Information (RFI) shows that hemp-derived CBD for use in dietary supplements has finally got the attention of Congress, said cbdMD’s CSO.

NOW calls out ‘significant failings’ in astaxanthin supplement quality

21-Aug-2023 By Stephen Daniells

Sixty-four percent of lesser-known brands of Astaxanthin supplements sold on Amazon.com and Walmart.com failed potency tests, according to new data from NOW’s award-winning testing program.

Guest article

Beware of Bots and AI: Minimizing the risk of fraudulent claims in class action settlements

18-Aug-2023 By Elizabeth Chiarello and Julie Becker, Products Liability & Mass Torts Litigation group, Sidley

In this guest article, Elizabeth Chiarello and Julie Becker from Sidley’s Products Liability & Mass Torts Litigation group, provide actionable guidance to help functional food and supplement companies minimize risks associated with a new form of fraud...

Collagen peptides linked to mental & physical benefits for active middle-aged adults: PB Leiner-funded study

18-Aug-2023 By Stephen Daniells

Daily supplementation with collagen peptides may boost not only functional and physical outcomes for middle-aged people but may also significantly improve measures of pain and mental health, says a new double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study.

Vitux opens new Canada facility to better serve N.Am. demand

16-Aug-2023 By Stephen Daniells

Norwegian delivery innovator Vitux has opened its first North American production facility to better meet growing global demand for its Smart Chew jelly-like matrix system.