Washington, D.C., June 6, 2019—The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the leading trade association for the dietary supplement and functional food industry, praised Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Representatives Tony Cárdenas (D-CA) and Mike Rogers (R-AL) for the introduction of The SNAP Vitamin and Mineral Improvement Act of 2019 in the Senate and House, respectively, on June 5. The bill, if passed, would bridge nutrient gaps in low-income populations across America by amending the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 “to make certain multivitamin-mineral dietary supplements eligible for purchase with supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits, and for other purposes.”
“CRN thanks Senators Scott and Sinema and Representatives Cárdenas and Rogers for their commitment and leadership in support of this common sense legislation,” said Mike Greene, senior vice president, government relations, CRN.
Supporting the bill is research that underscores insufficient and nutritionally inadequate diets occurring more commonly in low-income Americans and the multivitamin is a safe and affordable way to obtain adequate levels of essential nutrients.
“Americans are not getting enough nutrients from food alone, and a multivitamin, in combination with a balanced diet, can fill nutrient gaps,” said Mr. Greene. “The facts have always been there, but the law has not. With today’s introduction of The SNAP Vitamin and Mineral Improvement Act, there is a glimmer of hope that we will be able to finally empower low-income consumers with a choice for better nutrition.”
The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973, is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing 150+ dietary supplement and functional food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and companies providing services to those manufacturers and suppliers. In addition to complying with a host of federal and state regulations governing dietary supplements and food in the areas of manufacturing, marketing, quality control and safety, our manufacturer and supplier members also agree to adhere to additional voluntary guidelines as well as to CRN’s Code of Ethics. Visit www.crnusa.org. Follow us on Twitter @CRN_Supplements, Facebook, and LinkedIn.