The Natural Products Association (NPA) called the passage of the bill, which is awaiting the signature of California’s governor “a slap in the face to public health and consumer choice.” As Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D., NPA President and CEO, has stated, “The FDA does not have a single data point that connects eating disorders to supplement use and 80% of Americans take at least one dietary supplement as a safe, effective, and affordable way to maintain good health and augment inadequate diets. Yet, California lawmakers do not believe Californians are capable of making health choices for themselves. We are urging Governor Newsom to follow the science and data provided by the FDA and veto this draconian piece of legislation.”

NPA Working to Fight Efforts to Age-Restrict Supplements

In its fight to stop the bill, NPA sent a letter to the California Department of Public Health Director Tomas J. Aragón. The association is urging the director to recognize the importance of dietary supplementation and the scientific evidence from the FDA showing there is no correlation between dietary supplement use and eating disorders.

“In 2019 and 2022, we filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) inquiries to the FDA to explore any adverse events for any cases involving eating disorders and dietary supplements,” said Dr. Fabricant. “According to the chief regulator of dietary supplements, the FDA, there is no data point connecting the twoAmericans relied on dietary supplements to help support their health during the pandemic. Now, Californians may have to have a prescription to gain access to those nutrient-rich. This is misguided legislation that is based on abject falsehoods claiming that there is some connection between supplements and eating disorders when the official federal official government data shows that no connection exists. We will use every resource and avenue—including potential litigation—in order to fight back against this proposal in California and across the country.”

NPA Urges Industry to Act

NPA’s grassroots campaign is designed to counter the bill. NPA is urging the industry to join the thousands of Californians to contact Governor Newsom and warn him of the consequences of this legislation. In addition to opposing AB 1341, NPA is working to halt similar proposals in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Missouri, and Rhode Island, and urging industry members to take action.