Leading trade association plans to develop voluntary dietary supplement registry.

• Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, FDA has the authority to regulate dietary ingredients and dietary supplements.  Although these substances and products are a subset of the “food” category, they are subject to a distinct regulatory regime under the framework of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA).  For years, FDA and the dietary supplement industry have tussled over the extent of the Agency’s ability to restrict consumer access to safe supplements.  One topic of ongoing debate is the alleged lack of transparency regarding the composition of supplements currently on the market.
• A leading dietary supplement trade association — the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) — has adopted a proposal to create a Voluntary Product Registry for Dietary Supplements.  According to CRN, the goal of the registry is to increase transparency and give regulators greater access to information about the composition of supplement products currently on the market.
• CRN continues to seek input from other affected stakeholders regarding its plan.  The organization acknowledges that some will likely see the database as needless, while others will think it does not go far enough.  The degree to which FDA and the dietary supplement industry will embrace this initiative remains to be seen, and the timeline for implementation is not yet clear.