NHF Works To Keep Nutritional Supplements Available & Affordable

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 50% of Americans regularly consume some sort of vitamin or mineral supplement.  The National Health Federation (NHF) -- the World's oldest health-freedom organization -- is working to pass a bill in Washington D.C. that amends the FDA's Draft Guidance on New Dietary Ingredients so numerous natural health products consumers have been safely using for decades will not be required to undergo the same kind of expensive testing as new medical drugs -- or else be removed from the market. 

When the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA) was passed, there were only 4,000 natural supplement products on the market -- now there are 30,000, which means 87% of supplements that consumers now safely use may be affected.    

To help preserve this health freedom, NHF introduced the Dietary Supplement Protection Act (DSPA), H.R.3380 on November 4, 2011. Simply, DSPA amends DSHEA by moving forward the grandfathering date to 2007 from 1994, putting many thousands of safe, time-tested products immediately out of range of the NDI Draft Guidance. Why do this? 

• In the 17 years since passage of DSHEA, the supplement industry's safety standards have undergone a complete overhaul, with much more stringent manufacturing practice standards in place for the 26,000 supplement products brought to market since 1994. 
• If not amended, the FDA's new Draft Guidance's strict requirements will: greatly inhibit any further innovation in the supplement industry, kill jobs and senselessly increase prices.  
• The cost for testing one element averages $200,000 to millions and could take up to five years to complete – for products already shown to be safe. 

"Time tested results are clear and available to the FDA," explains NHF President, Scott Tips. "Statistical evidence proves that natural supplements taken properly are completely safe for the consumer."

NHF encourages consumers to contact their representatives in Washington to pass H.R. 3380 into law before the December 31, 2012 deadline. www.thenhf.com/dspa

About NHF: Established in 1955, NHF is the World's oldest international, non-profit, consumer-education, health-freedom organization working to protect individuals' rights to choose to consume healthy food, take supplements and use alternative therapies without undue government restrictions. 

SOURCE The National Health Federation