July 21, 2010

Congress Withdraws Expanded FTC Powers

In June, we told you about pending legislation that sought to expand the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)‘s authority so that the agency could devise and implement its own rules. Now, Congress has decided not to include this language in its Wall Street Reform bill (S. 3217).

The Natural Products Association (NPA) called this a "victory" for the natural products industry, given that the legislation could have "undercut the protections of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA)." The NPA mobilized its members, calling on them to contact their representatives in opposition to the language. According to the NPA, some 28,000 messages were sent to lawmakers through its Web site over the past two months. The NPA had been part of an inter–industry coalition of 50 trade associations to stop Congress from giving the FTC such authority.

With this victory, however, we cannot become complacent, as several other important issues are still on the table that deserve attention. For example, the Food Safety bill S.510. Codex language was removed from the Senate version, but the final House bill contains language that imposes jail sentences up to 10 years for "adulterating" or "misbranding" supplements. This is concerning because the FDA could interpret a vitamin company‘s use of a peer–reviewed study as "misbranding" or even minor paperwork violations as "adulterating."

Don‘t let this victory lull you into thinking the fight is over! Stay organized, stay connected, and stay vocal about your right to vitamin freedom!