Save Our Supplements

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Fight for Healthy Policies
If you have ever purchased a bottle of vitamins or used an herbal remedy, you are among the millions of consumers of dietary supplements nationwide. Yet today, your access to safe, effective, and affordable supplements is in jeopardy, and we need your help to protect your health and Save Our Supplements..


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 requires manufacturers of all dietary supplements to ensure the products they put on the market are safe. The law holds manufacturers directly accountable for product safety and demands truth in labeling and advertising. This legislative safeguard came under attack by some members of Congress and key regulators in the last session of Congress. And although restrictive legislation concerning dietary supplements was not passed, new bills that are just as bad are expected this year..

Why Undermine Good Public Policy?
There is a common misconception among lawmakers and the media that dietary supplements are unregulated. In reality, good laws exist on the books and need to be enforced by the FDA. DSHEA gives the government agency enforcement power to remove dietary supplements from the market at any time it believes a product is unsafe. And, DSHEA already 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 many drug products and conventional foods, 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.

What Legislation is Congress Considering?
Congress is now considering legislation that would take away your access to safe, effective and affordable dietary supplements.

The Dietary Supplement Access and Awareness Act (H.R. 3156), introduced by Representatives Davis (D-CA), Waxman (D-CA), and Dingell (D-MI), this month, would place trusted vitamins, minerals, and herbs under unprecedented and unwarranted scrutiny.

The legislation would:

Regulate supplements in ways similar to prescription drugs


Require adverse event reports to be turned over to the FDA, even though other foods - including those with identical ingredients - do not have the same requirements


Order supplement companies to demonstrate that a vitamin or mineral is not adulterated - in other words, disproving a negative


Allow the Health and Human Services Secretary to declare that a supplement presents an unreasonable risk to the public, even if he/she cannot prove that the substance has actually caused harm in particular cases.
If H.R. 3156 becomes law, 70 percent of dietary supplements currently on the market would become subject to burdensome new regulations - some equivalent to those required for prescription drugs - driving up supplement prices for everyone and forcing well known dietary supplements to disappear from store shelves. Review our position paper. Check current bill status. Take action to tell your elected officials to oppose H.R. 3156.

The Senate is considering S. 1137, a bill to include dehydroepiandrosterone or DHEA, as an anabolic steroid. This legislation would add DHEA to the list of controlled substances, causing it to be immediately removed from the market when the bill becomes law. S. 1137 has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. We expect that similar legislation will be introduced in the House very soon.

DHEA is not an anabolic steroid. It is a naturally occurring hormone that has a wide range of benefits, including maintaining muscle strength and strong bones, boosting immunity, and improving mood and sleep patterns. Further studies suggest that DHEA may be helpful for such conditions as obesity, cancer and Alzheimer's disease. DHEA dietary supplements, which have been on the market for over 20 years, are derived from a plant in the wild yam family. Review our position paper. Check current bill status. Tell Congress you oppose S. 1137.
Congress is also considering legislation that would make dietary supplements more accessible:

The Dietary Supplement and Healthy Meal Replacement Tax Parity Act, H.R. 1545. Under this act, foods and dietary supplements with approved health claims can receive the same tax treatment as other products that maintain health and prevent illness. Review our position paper. Check current bill status.

The Healthy People, Healthy Choices Act of 2005, H.R. 161 , and the introduction of a companion bill in the Senate, which would authorize the Center for Disease Control to provide grants to promote healthy eating and exercise among minorities. Review our position paper. Check current bill status.

The DSHEA Full Implementation and Enforcement Act, H.R. 2485 , which would ensure that the FDA has adequate funding to carry out the law as Congress intended. Review our position paper. Check current bill status.

The Dietary Supplement Tax Fairness Act of 2005, H.R. 2486 , and the re-introduction of a companion bill in the Senate that would allow for the deductibility of dietary supplements in a manner consistent with other health care expenses that receive favorable treatment by the IRS. Review our position paper. Check current bill status.


What Can You Do to Save Our Supplements?
Congress needs to hear from consumers that they want lawmakers to protect access to safe, effective and affordable dietary supplements. Tell them to enforce DSHEA and trust consumers with their own health decisions. Although bad bills from the last Congress were not carried over into the current session and have effectively "died," there is every indication that new bills that are every bit as bad are on the way.

Join the Fight
Become a voice for supplement choice and help ensure all Americans continue to have access to the dietary supplements they depend on for good health.

Tell your legislators you oppose any dietary supplement legislation before Congress that undermines your health choices. Click on a bill below for the up-to-date summary, status and cosponsor information.
Tell your legislators you oppose pending dietary supplement legislation before Congress that undermines your health choices. Click on a bill below for the up-to-date summary, status and cosponsor information.


Tell Congress to Save Our Supplements and keep the consumer protections in DSHEA intact.

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