CNN Corrects Erroneous Statement About Supplements

[Guest guest]

We continuously hear statements in the press that dietary supplements

are not regulated and that the public has no protections in place and

that dietary supplement companies are doing horrible things and lying

and making dangerous products.

This is nonsense, of the same ilk as W. Bush's statement that

Canadians are not happy with their universal health care plan. They

are so much happier than us it's silly. Bush's people know that if he

says it out loud in the press, people will assume it's true, even if

it's complete nonsense. This is Orwellian double-speak and it is used

by liars and politicians all over the world to keep the public in the

dark.

I re-print below a letter about CNN correcting their mistake on this.

For the real story on these kinda of issues as they come up I

recommend subscribing to the newsletter from Neil Levin's group,

www.honestnutrition.com.

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CNN's Erroneous Report on Dietary Supplement Regulation

Was Corrected After My Complaint And Correction

By Neil E. Levin, CCN, DANLA, www.honestnutrition.com

A recent CNN text report and the accompanying video posted on its

webpage asserted that dietary supplements are " unregulated " and that

label and ad claims are made without any government supervision.1 The

video was shown on the CNN television network. Of course, one need

only go to the FDA's own web site to find out that this is false. Even

the claim that dietary supplements are " unregulated " compared to other

food categories is preposterous.

The FDA says that (I have bolded certain words in these quotes to

emphasize that these are mandatory rules, or regulation): " FDA

regulates dietary supplements under a different set of regulations

than those covering " conventional " foods and drug products

(prescription and Over-the-Counter) "

The agency explains the scope of those regulations: " FDA's

post-marketing responsibilities include monitoring safety, e.g.

voluntary dietary supplement adverse event reporting, and product

information, such as labeling, claims, package inserts, and

accompanying literature. The Federal Trade Commission regulates

dietary supplement advertising...Domestic and foreign facilities that

manufacture/process, pack, or hold food for human or animal

consumption in the United States are required to register their

facility with the FDA. "

Regarding the regulation of claims and labels, the agency says:

" Claims that can be used on food and dietary supplement labels fall

into three categories: health claims, nutrient content claims, and

structure/function claims. The responsibility for ensuring the

validity of these claims rests with the manufacturer, FDA, or, in the

case of advertising, with the Federal Trade Commission...Manufacturers

of dietary supplements that make structure/function claims on labels

or in labeling must submit a notification to FDA no later than 30 days

after marketing the dietary supplement that includes the text of the

structure/function claim. "

" The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulates advertising, including

infomercials, for dietary supplements and most other products sold to

consumers. FDA works closely with FTC in this area, but FTC's work is

directed by different laws. For more information on FTC, go to:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/. Advertising and promotional material received

in the mail are also regulated under different laws and are subject to

regulation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. "

Regarding new ingredients, the agency says, " The Dietary Supplement

Health and Education Act (DSHEA) requires that a manufacturer or

distributor notify FDA if it intends to market a dietary supplement in

the U.S. that contains a " new dietary ingredient. " The manufacturer

(and distributor) must demonstrate to FDA why the ingredient is

reasonably expected to be safe for use in a dietary supplement, unless

it has been recognized as a food substance and is present in the food

supply. " This rule does not apply to other food categories.

Additionally, serious adverse event reporting (SAERs) is no longer

voluntary. Manufacturers are required to report SAERs to the FDA

within 15 business days of receipt, another distinction between

dietary supplement regulation and rules for other regulated food

categories. And the FDA, as authorized by DSHEA, is phasing in

mandatory cGMPs (current Good Manufacturing Practices) for all dietary

supplement manufacturers, focusing on assuring safety and proper

identification of ingredients by setting strict rules for

manufacturing procedures. This is another important regulatory

distinction between dietary supplements and other food categories.

POSTSCRIPT:

I sent a short version of this correction to CNN on Monday, 1/14/08,

and posted a long version on my blog. To their credit, CNN has now

(1/17/08) posted a link to my blog entry1 that had complained about

the accuracy of its original report, has revised its text version on

the CNN webpage to remove the errors that I pointed out to them and

insert accurate quotes from the FDA website, and has pulled the video

of that original report from the CNN webpage.2

I acknowledge CNN's corrections as responsible and applaud its efforts

to quickly correct these errors when informed of them.

My hope is that CNN will now be more vigilant in recognizing and

challenging the common misperception that " dietary supplements are

unregulated " , since even a quick fact check reveals that this is quite

untrue. Even when those making these false claims are authorities,

" experts " or health professionals, it would be helpful if journalists

learn that such blanket condemnations are `red flags' indicating that

sources may be spouting personal opinions that may be inaccurate,

biased, inflammatory, or even potentially libelous; and hopefully

triggering a healthy skepticism instead of a mere echo.