THE IMPACT OF THE FOOD-AND-DRUG-ADMINISTRATION REPROPOSAL ON VITAMINS, MINERALS, AND OTHER NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS

The nutritional supplement industry is strongly opposed to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) 1990 health messages reproposal. The FDA reproposal substitutes a highly restrictive approach toward health messages for the relatively liberal policy that has been in effect for the last several years. Contrary to the views of those who claim that the FDA's liberal policy toward health claims has been abused, the experience of the last several years shows that it has resulted in consumers receiving more information about the relationship between diet and disease, has created incentives for manufacturers to improve the nutritional content of their products, has caused consumers to change their diets for the better, and has helped to reduce the incidence of several serious diseases. The FDA reproposal could substantially reduce the flow of valuable health information to consumers. Fortunately, that proposal is quite limited and would not prohibit many of the health claims now being made. With respect to supplements, however, the proposal continues to reflect a longstanding anti-supplement bias on the part of the FDA which, unless remedied, may make it difficult for supplement manufacturers to provide information to consumers about the potential benefits of their products.