– DSHEA 10 YEARS LATER –
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Dan Burton (R-IN-5), Chairman of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness, will hold a hearing to examine the status of the federal government’s research analysis and implementation of the Dietary Supplement Health Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994. Additionally, the Subcommittee will receive testimony from dietary supplement industry leaders, medical doctors, and policy researchers to discuss the impact of this law in the United States over the past decade.
The oversight hearing entitled, “Ten Years After the Implementation of DSHEA: The Status of Dietary Supplements in the United States,” will be held on Wednesday, March 24, 2004, in Room 2154 of the Rayburn House Office Building at 10:00 a.m.
Stated Burton, “Millions of Americans purchase dietary supplements each year in order to maintain and improve their personal health. The enactment of DSHEA was a significant step in addressing the safety concerns of consumers and manufacturers alike, and its provisions help ensure that appropriately labeled products remain readily available to those who utilize them.”
DSHEA was the first piece of legislation that fully defined dietary supplements and dietary ingredients. Specifically, DSHEA set forth guidelines as to how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ought to regulate the dietary supplements industry. Under this law, manufacturers are required to follow specific procedures in order for their products to be classified as a legitimate dietary supplement. In addition, DSHEA established a new framework for assuring product safety.
PANEL ONE WITNESS:
Dr. Robert Brackett
Director, Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition
U.S. Food & Drug Administration
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
PANEL TWO WITNESSES:
Marc Micozzi, MD, PhD
Director, Policy Institute for Integrative Medicine
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Alan Dumoff, J.D.
Representative, American Association for Health Freedom
David Seckman
Executive Director & CEO, National Natural Foods Association
Annette Dickinson
President, Council for Responsible Nutrition
Doug Rose
Dietary Supplement Consumer
Indianapolis, IN
This is the Subcommittee’s first hearing regarding this issue. For more information, or to look at hearing resource materials, please visit the Subcommittee’ website at www.reform.house.gov/WHR.