NPA Questions Why Dietary Supplements Aren’t Part of New FDA Criteria for “Healthy” Food Labeling

Days after the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health, which convened on Wednesday, Sept. 28, for the first time in more than 50 years, concluded that nutrition was an essential part of an approach to health and wellness, the Natural Products Association (NPA) questioned why a proposed rule by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) excludes dietary supplements from being included.

“We were pleased that the White House invited NPA to participate in the nutrition conference but are confused why healthy nutritional supplements are not part of this new push by the FDA. Americans turned to supplementation like never before during the pandemic and saw the benefits for themselves. This opportunity should be expanded to all Americans who struggle with malnutrition and obesity,” said Daniel Fabricant, PhD, president and CEO of the Natural Products Association (NPA).

NPA intends to provide official comments to the FDA’s proposed rule and is working with Congress and the Administration to expand eligibility for supplements to more Americans through food support programs like SNAP and WIC and through employer-funded programs like Health Savings Accounts.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) had also urged the White House to identify policies that address disparities in nutrition as well as hunger ahead of the conference. CRN has previously submitted recommendations to the White House Conference in July to increase nutrition access and yesterday reiterated its earlier calls for attention to better nutrition as well as reducing hunger.

“No one should have to go to bed hungry, and everyone should have access to a variety of food, but focusing solely on calories and food quantity is shortsighted,” offered Steve Mister, president & CEO of CRN. “Better nutrition leads to healthier lives. Public policy should consider how to increase intake of essential nutrients among all socioeconomic groups and to address nutrition disparities that lead to chronic disease and missed opportunities to reduce these illnesses.”

In its July 15 submission, CRN reminded the Conference that expanding access to dietary supplements for low-income and underserved populations is critical to creating a healthy and nourished nation. CRN offered the following recommendations to help achieve the Conference’s proposed pillars:

• Include multivitamins/mineral supplements in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Plan (SNAP) benefits;
• Ensure adequate resources are allocated to regularly update Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) and establish new DRIs for nutrients and bioactives as needed;
• Develop initiatives to educate about the relationship between nutrition and better health as well as the role dietary supplements can play in filling nutrient gaps; and
• Attention to private sector initiatives/partnerships to increase nutrition access.

Acknowledging existing research that demonstrates low-income and food-insecure adults are at greater risk of nutrient shortfalls, CRN said it believes amending the SNAP program to allow beneficiaries the opportunity to purchase multivitamin/mineral supplements (which is currently prohibited) would help address the socioeconomic nutritional gap and help achieve improved food access and affordability.

For more information, visit www.npanational.org and www.crnusa.org.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) had also urged the White House to identify policies that address disparities in nutrition as well as hunger ahead of the conference. CRN has previously submitted recommendations to the White House Conference in July to increase nutrition access and yesterday reiterated its earlier calls for attention to better nutrition as well as reducing hunger.

“No one should have to go to bed hungry, and everyone should have access to a variety of food, but focusing solely on calories and food quantity is shortsighted,” offered Steve Mister, president & CEO of CRN. “Better nutrition leads to healthier lives. Public policy should consider how to increase intake of essential nutrients among all socioeconomic groups and to address nutrition disparities that lead to chronic disease and missed opportunities to reduce these illnesses.”