Council for Responsible Nutrition: Who is CRN?
Q. Who is the Council for Responsible Nutrition?
A. The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973 and based in Washington, D.C., is the leading trade association representing dietary supplement and functional food manufacturers and ingredient suppliers.CRN companies produce a large portion of the dietary supplements marketed in the United States and globally. Our member companies manufacture popular national brands as well as the store brands marketed by major supermarkets, drug stores and discount chains. These products also include those marketed through natural food stores and mainstream direct selling companies. CRN represents more than 180 companies that manufacture dietary ingredients and/or dietary supplements, or supply services to those suppliers and manufacturers. Our member companies are expected to comply with a host of federal and state regulations governing dietary supplements in the areas of manufacturing, marketing, quality control and safety. Our supplier and manufacturer member companies also agree to adhere to additional voluntary guidelines as well as to CRN’s Code of Ethics.
Q. What is CRN’s mission?
A. To sustain and enhance a climate for our members to responsibly develop, manufacture and market dietary supplements, functional foods and nutritional ingredients.
Q. How many member companies belong to CRN?
A. More than 180, including voting and associate members . A complete list of CRN member companies is available here.
Q. What does CRN do?
A. CRN provides its member companies with expertise and action in the areas of science, regulation, legislation, communications, and international affairs. CRN takes a leadership role in advocating for public policy based on sound science and the ability for consumers to have access to a wide variety of high quality, safe and beneficial dietary supplement products.
Q. Who is CRN’s president and CEO?
A. Steve Mister has been President & CEO since 2005. Under his leadership, CRN has experienced increased membership, refined its strategic focus, and launched initiatives that center on increasing industry responsibility and consumer education. In addition to his role as President of CRN, he is also the President of the CRN Foundation. Among the Foundation’s achievements are the creation of a highly successful consumer wellness education campaign (Life…supplemented), a program with the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus to review supplement advertising, and a grant to Frost & Sullivan to produce an economic report on healthcare cost savings from the targeted use of specific supplements.
Prior to joining CRN, Mr. Mister served in several legal and legislative roles for over a decade at the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), most recently as Vice President and Associate General Counsel. Mr. Mister also worked as an attorney in the Washington, D.C., law firm of Wiley, Rein & Fielding in general litigation, government ethics, and federal election law practice groups, and had a stint on Capitol Hill as a media relations assistant for former U.S. Senator Charles McC. Mathias, Jr. Mr. Mister holds a law degree from the College of William and Mary, an M.A. in Political Communication from the University of Maryland and a B.S. in Speech Communication from Towson University.