US trade body The Natural Products Association (NPA) has condemned as “flawed an unnecessary” a new bill that would require dietary supplement manufacturers to list their products with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The bill was introduced in the US House Of Representatives last week by Democratic congresswoman Maxine Dexter. Under the current primary law governing supplements in the US (the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, or DSHEA) the FDA has the authority to regulate supplements but dos not require supplement companies to register their products with the agency. 

“More than three-quarters of Americans take dietary supplements. As a physician, I’ve seen countless patients assume these products are vetted for safety,” said Dexter. “Unfortunately, our regulatory bodies don’t have access to the most basic information about these products. My common sense legislation brings transparency to consumers and regulators alike to keep our communities safe.”

Political voices calling for the ‘listing’ of dietary supplements have been growing louder in recent years, with advocates arguing that current regulation lacks sufficient oversight. Mandatory listing would require companies to submit product names, ingredient lists, and labels.

The NPA warned that the bill, if passed, “would impose sweeping new federal burdens on dietary supplement manufacturers at the very moment the industry is confronting an accelerating wave of state-level efforts to restrict consumer access. And it says that the proposal is based on “a false narrative that the agency operates in the dark”. 

“This misguided bill would only divert critical resources away from scientific research, product innovation and quality improvements, ultimately slowing development of the next generation of dietary supplements that consumers rely on to promote their health,” said Daniel Fabricant, president and CEO of NPA. “At a time when US policymakers should be focused on clarifying regulations and strengthening federal uniformity, this bill is in search of a problem and would create unnecessary requirements, increase the risks of frivolous litigation, and undermine innovation across the industry.”

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