Four trade associations representing the dietary supplements industry – The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), and United Natural Products Association (UNPA) – submitted a joint letter to Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Senate Agriculture/FDA Appropriations Subcommittee Chairwoman, and John Hoeven (R-ND) Ranking Member, expressing shared interest in providing the FDA’s Office of Dietary Supplement Programs (ODSP) with greater funding for Fiscal Year 2022.
 
The four associations have been consistent in advocating for greater FDA funding so that the agency can take strong enforcement action against companies that market adulterated dietary supplement products. The letter was signed by Michael McGuffin, president of AHPA, Scott Melville, president and CEO of CHPA, Steve Mister, president and CEO of CRN, and Loren Israelsen, president of UNPA.
 
“In the United States, more than 170 million consumers use dietary supplements each year as a cost-effective way to take an active role in managing their healthcare,” leadership of the four organizations wrote. “After the passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), the dietary supplement industry has grown from around $6 billion in annual sales to over $55 billion in 2020. This robust growth of the industry reflects not only increased interest among consumers for these products, but also significant advancements in the science of nutrition and wellness. This growth also brings new regulatory responsibilities for FDA to monitor appropriately the marketplace. The ODSP has primary responsibility for oversight of the industry, development of appropriate regulations and guidance, further implementation of DSHEA and establishing enforcement priorities for products that may create a risk to public health.”
 
Specifically, the four authors of the letter requested a $5 million increase in funding for the FDA ODSP for Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations. “We believe such an increase is warranted given the substantial growth in, and size of, the marketplace and the need to make up for the lapse in inspections and related ODSP activities caused by the pandemic.”