Washington, D.C., January 2, 2018— Today the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) extends its immense gratitude to Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) for his dedication to our country and his enduring support of both the dietary supplement industry and, most importantly, the more than 170 million U.S. dietary supplement consumers. Sen. Hatch, who is the longest serving senator in U.S. history, announced that he will not be running for re-election to the Senate in 2018.
“Of all of Senator Hatch’s achievements, his commitment to the dietary supplement consumer will be celebrated most by this industry,” said Steve Mister, president & CEO, CRN. “Senator Hatch has been a champion of dietary supplements to be sure, but his insistence on a common sense approach to legislation and regulation has always managed to strike the important balance between safety and access in pursuit of promoting public health."
Senator Hatch, who formed and led the Dietary Supplement Caucus in the Senate, co-authored the landmark legislation that established a rational framework for regulating dietary supplements, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. The senator also played a critical role in passing the Nonprescription Drug & Dietary Supplement Consumer Protection Act of 2006 (which established a mandatory post-market surveillance program for dietary supplements); enacting the Food Safety Modernization Act in 2011 (that added extra safety precautions for manufacturing food, including dietary supplements); and shepherding the passage of the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2014 (that helped protect consumers from illegal drugs masquerading as dietary supplements)—all of which strengthened consumer confidence in dietary supplements. He used his considerable influence to prod FDA to issue final Current Good Manufacturing Practices regulations in 2007 and to elevate FDA’s Division of Dietary Supplement Programs to Office status in 2016, both of which strengthened FDA's oversight of dietary supplements that nearly 76 percent of Americans turn to for better health and wellness.
CRN and the entire dietary supplement industry wish Senator Hatch all the best in this next chapter of his life. His hard work and dedication have well-served consumers of our products. The majority of Americans who take dietary supplements can have confidence that responsible companies in this industry will do their part to honor Senator Hatch’s legacy by continuing to bring safe, quality dietary supplement products to the market.
Note to Editor:
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 and LinkedIn.