OCTOBER 26, 2023
Association Calls It “A Sad Day for Consumer Choice and Scientific Accuracy”
WASHINGTON – The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the leading trade association for the dietary supplement and functional food industry, today expressed disappointment in the passage of a new law in New York State that will ban the sale of weight loss and sports nutrition dietary supplements to consumers under the age of 18. Despite CRN’s thorough efforts opposing the legislation and the association’s repeated calls for a veto, A.5610/S.5823 has been signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) and will likely go into effect in April 2024.
This legislation and similar bills around the country are being pushed by special interests, namely the Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders (STRIPED), who rely on tangential science that scapegoats the dietary supplement industry by claiming an unfounded, and scientifically debunked, causal relationship between dietary supplement use and eating disorders and/or body dysmorphia in young adults. CRN was directly engaged with state policymakers and stakeholders throughout the entire legislative process and urged the Governor to veto the legislation, as she did when a similar bill passed the state’s General Assembly last year.
“This will impact a huge swath of products sitting on grocery store, pharmacy and natural retailer shelves throughout New York State,” said CRN President and CEO Steve Mister. “Because of this blatant, alarmist misinformation pushed by STRIPED, Empire State consumers of all ages will have their ability to purchase dietary supplement products limited. It’s a sad day for consumer choice and scientific accuracy, and our membership needs to understand just what a severe threat STRIPED poses to our industry.”
The law can be applied to any dietary supplement that is “labeled, marketed, or otherwise represented for the purpose of achieving weight loss or muscle building.” Additionally, the law specifically mentions the following ingredients: creatine, green tea extract, raspberry ketone, garcinia cambogia, and green coffee bean extract.
The language of the newly enacted law can be found here.
The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973, is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing 200+ 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. Follow us on Twitter @CRN_Supplements and LinkedIn.