WASHINGTON, D.C., December 18, 2002  -The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), one of the dietary supplement industry's leading trade associations, has issued the following statement in response to a joint press conference held today by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Background:   The press conference announced a new FDA policy regarding health claims for conventional foods and a new FDA-FTC enforcement initiative against misleading dietary supplement advertising.

Statement by Annette Dickinson, Ph.D., Vice President, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs:

"The Council for Responsible Nutrition commends FDA on its announcement that it will now recognize that qualified health claims will be permitted for conventional foods as well as for dietary supplements.  CRN has long supported the logical position that qualified health claims should be available for all categories of food, including conventional foods and dietary supplements, because they all provide beneficial nutrients that promote good health and help protect against disease. 

We support efforts by the regulatory agencies to reign in companies that are engaging in misleading dietary supplement advertising.  The dietary supplement industry is regulated, both by FDA and FTC, and companies that do not comply with the legal requirements for truthful advertising do a grave disservice to both consumers and the responsible companies providing quality products."

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The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973, represents dietary supplement ingredient suppliers and manufacturers.  CRN members adhere to a strong code of ethics, comply with dosage limits and manufacture dietary supplements to high quality standards under good manufacturing practices.