“This survey reinforces what we’ve long known: Americans rely on dietary supplements as part of their daily health routine—and they expect a strong regulatory system to ensure the safety and quality of the products they consume,” said Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) President and CEO Scott Melville.
“It’s time to update DSHEA to further safeguard consumers from bad actors, facilitate industry innovation and bring greater transparency to this fast-growing category of consumer healthcare products.”
DSHEA at 30
The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), the landmark legislation that was signed in October 1994 by President Bill Clinton, created the modern dietary supplements industry.
For the first time, it legally defined what a dietary supplement is (and is not). It clearly stated that dietary supplements were a sub-class of food and that dietary ingredients are not food additives. It created a framework for innovation and the development of New Dietary Ingredients (NDI). Furthermore, it outlined the need for quality standards (cGMPs).
The law opened the gates for 30 years of growth, with industry increasing from 4,000 products and $4 billion in 1994 to 100,000+ products and an estimated value of $60+ billion today.
This growth has stretched the regulatory structure, according to CHPA, which cannot stop poor quality or adulterated products from entering the market, and the association says that a comprehensive approach is needed to give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the tools to ensure product integrity and consumer safety “for years to come”.
Survey
The survey, conducted by Peak Insights from Feb. 19–20, included 1,169 interviews among a representative sample of U.S. voters across the country. It found that 83% of respondents identified as consumers of dietary supplements, with 61% saying they are “regular” users. The vast majority (92%) agreed that supplements have a positive impact on their health and wellness.
Despite a high number of consumers and an awareness of the benefits of supplements, the survey showed that there is a common misconception that the supplements category is unregulated (52%: 27% said it was unregulated and 25% were unsure) or regulated in the same manner as over-the-counter drugs (53%).
Only 22% of the respondents had heard of DSHEA.
When asked the question, “Based on what you know today, would you support or oppose federal legislation to modernize the regulations overseeing dietary supplements?”, 75% said they would support modernization.
Almost 50% said they believe that the industry needs “more regulation and oversight,” while only 9% supported less regulation.
There was overwhelming support (ranging from 78% to 81%) for all five proposed reforms, which included:
- Give the FDA more authority to quickly stop the sale of unsafe or illegal products.
- Require all dietary supplement manufacturers to list their products in a public database managed by the FDA.
- Modernize regulations to let supplement companies share published scientific studies with consumers using websites and other online marketing platforms.
- Update outdated rules that block certain natural ingredients from being used in supplements, even if they are already known to be safe and beneficial for consumers.
- Expand the FDA’s ability to evaluate dietary supplement manufacturers by allowing FDA accredited third-party auditors to perform audits in addition to FDA inspections
To access the full survey results, click HERE