NPA Has Led Opposition to the Bill and Secured a Governor’s Veto of Similar Legislation
Washington, D.C. – The Natural Products Association (NPA) succeeded yesterday in defeating legislation in the California state legislature (CA AB 82) that would restrict and prohibit access to dietary supplements, marking the latest attempt by lawmakers to enact the proposal. NPA testified in opposition to the bill and activated its grassroots network that generated calls and emails to state officials. In 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) vetoed nearly identical legislation after NPA requested such action.
“We are thrilled to have secured this major victory for the dietary supplement industry and appreciate all the support we generated on behalf of our membership. But we cannot rest easy, because this is now the third attempt at this misguided proposal, and we are convinced that it will not be the last,” said Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D., President, and CEO of the Natural Products Association.
“If you are a company involved in the manufacturing, distribution, or sales of dietary supplements and other healthy natural products our message is clear: stay involved and engaged. More states are considering copycat legislation that is a clear and present danger to our industry and the benefits our products provide. If these bills were to be enacted, the cost of doing business would soar and consumers would be negatively impacted. We need to stay united and defeat these growing efforts or we will find ourselves out of business altogether.
“The sad fact is that these proposals don’t support science, health, or protecting consumers. As we have demonstrated repeatedly in public testimony and official correspondence to officials in California and elsewhere there is not a single data point connecting the use of eating disorders and dietary supplements. If there were, the FDA would be required to remove that product from the market.”
In September 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed AB1341 which would have restricted access to dietary supplements, and in some cases would have required a prescription to access these health products. The bill would also have required brick and mortar retailers to post warning signs at purchase counters saying that dietary supplements are known to cause serious adverse events, including stroke, organ failure, and even death, despite no scientific evidence supporting the claim. The bill had no such similar warning requirements for online sales. Failure to comply with the legislation would have brought fines of up to $1,000 for each infraction, and a legislative analysis suggested that ingredients including vitamin D and calcium were potentially harmful.
