 Support Consumer Rights and Health
Fight for Healthy Policies
Millions of Americans take vitamins, herbal remedies, and other dietary supplements to enhance their diets and maintain healthy lifestyles. Yet today, critics of dietary supplements question whether consumers should have access to safe, effective, and affordable supplements. We believe Congress made the right choice when it overwhelmingly passed DSHEA (the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act), a balanced and informed approach to protecting consumer health and access to dietary supplements. With your help, we can preserve policies that recognize the importance of consumer health and safety and the rights of every citizen to make informed health choices.
What is DSHEA?
In 1994, Congress took an important step forward with passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) -- federal legislation that ensures access to safe products, made to quality standards. It also promotes the dissemination of information about the benefits of supplements, so that consumers can make informed decisions about their health. This legislation is now under attack by some members of Congress and key regulators.
Why Undermine Good Public Policy?
There is a common misconception among lawmakers and the media that dietary supplements are unregulated. In reality, good laws such as DSHEA exist on the books and need to be enforced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). DSHEA gives the FDA the power to remove dietary supplements from the market at any time it believes a product is unsafe. DSHEA requires manufacturers of dietary supplements to notify the FDA and provide scientific proof before releasing a product containing a new ingredient.
While the safety record for dietary supplements far surpasses other commonly-consumed products, some in Congress want to impose standards that exceed those for over-the-counter and prescription drugs. These legislative hurdles could cause vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other products consumers now enjoy to disappear from store shelves or become unaffordable.
How You Can Help Protect Access to Dietary Supplements
| Consumers: |
Contact your lawmakers and urge them to protect access to the safe, effective and affordable dietary supplements you use every day. Visit www.SaveOurSupplements.org to send your message now.
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| Congress: |
Oppose potential dietary supplement legislation that undermines consumers' health choices and limits access to supplements. Learn more about pending legislation.
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| Media: |
Cover the true supplement story. Tell Americans that enforcing DSHEA is a healthy policy worth fighting for. Get the facts and ask the experts about the law and the dietary supplement industry. |
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