FEATURED ISSUE
Are dietary supplement regulations changing?
It appears that there has been a flurry of activity during the last few months in the dietary supplement industry concerning regulations. Is this activity a harbinger of good things to come? Or are these changes a reason for concern? Here’s what’s been happening:

• The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is creating a Dietary Supplement Working Group to evaluate both the industry and internal operating procedures.
• The State of Arizona is eliminating a longstanding local regulation of dietary supplements, citing unnecessary and redundant authority with the FDA.
• The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has announced broad exemptions to local fee-generating registration requirements for dietary supplement companies.
• The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a proposed –for the third time– a bill to restrict the sale of energy drinks to minors.

With both tighter and looser regulations being considered, it will be interesting to watch the new dietary supplement landscape change in 2019.

ISSUE: What is unfolding in regulation of the dietary supplement industry?

AHHA strives to maintain a neutral position on issues and viewsknowledge as power. For those interested in learning more about this month’s issue, the following related articles serve as a foundation for becoming better informed about this matter.

Dietary Supplement Working Group within FDA to improve oversight of the dietary supplement industry. Industry leaders see potential for good, but are also concerned about the possibility of closed-door meetings without industry participation.
FDA Launches Dietary Supplement Working Group (12/13/18)
Nutraceuticals World 

FDA commissioner announces formation of dietary supplement working group (12/12/18)
by Josh Long
Natural Products Insider

CRN Welcomes Formation of FDA Dietary Supplement Working Group (12/13/18)
by Steve Mister
Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN)

AZ and PR local regulations reversed after industry input.
Arizona state pharmacy board backs off regulation of dietary supplements (12/20/18)
by Josh Long
Natural Products Insider

Puerto Rico passes law that exempts supplement companies from registration requirement [Link no longer available] (1/2/19)
by Hank Schultz
NutraIngredients-USA

MA local bill proposing difficult to implement regulation. Industry questioning premise.
Bill HD.2441: An Act to Prohibit the Sale of “energy drinks” to persons under the age of 18
191^stGeneral Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

State based laws on supplements would result in unworkable tangle of rules, stakeholders argue (1/30/19)
by Hank Schultz
UntraIngredients-USA

Bill to limit certain dietary supplement sales to minors resurfaces in Massachusetts (1/29/19)
by Steve Myers
Natural Products Insider

NPA Opposes Proposed MA Bill to Ban Minors from Purchasing Certain Supplements (2/7/19)
WholeFoods

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