WASHINGTON, March 7 -- The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and its member companies intend to carefully review and comment on the good manufacturing practices (GMPs) proposed rule issued today by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure that the provisions are sufficiently comprehensive.

CRN's member companies currently adhere voluntarily to stringent GMPs, and CRN's guidelines on GMPs have provided the basis of FDA's initial 1997 notice and the USP's current guidelines.

"We commend the Agency for taking these necessary steps that will provide fuller implementation of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). Although our own member companies are already operating under strong good manufacturing practices, it is important that a GMP rule be finalized and enforced in order to raise the bar for the industry as a whole and to build consumer confidence in our industry and the quality products that are produced. We will now take the time to do a careful analysis of the proposed rule and develop meaningful formal comments for FDA," stated CRN President Annette Dickinson, Ph.D.

Note: A fact sheet on GMPs is available on the CRN website at the following location: http://www.crnusa.org/who_ssr_GMPs.html