New Registry to Increase Transparency in US Supplement Industry: Association

18 Apr 2017 --- The US’ Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) is encouraging its member companies who market dietary supplements to submit their product labels to the Supplement OWL (Online Wellness Library), a new dietary supplement product label registry set to launch in April. This announcement follows discussions between CHPA and its Dietary Supplements Committee, where the association and its committee members reviewed the rationale for the registry and the process by which labels would be submitted.

“We’re heartened by CHPA’s recognition that the Supplement OWL serves as one means of enhancing transparency for the dietary supplement industry. We know that CHPA members share our understanding of the importance of transparency and want to be responsible when it comes to labeling,” says Steve Mister, the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) President and CEO.

The Supplement OWL is an industry-wide self-regulatory initiative that will help create a rich and more complete picture of the marketplace for regulators, retailers and other stakeholders.

“When purchasing dietary supplement products, consumers have the right to expect those products are properly labeled and manufactured in accordance with FDA requirements,” says CHPA President and CEO Scott Melville. 

“CHPA applauds CRN and UL for spearheading the Supplement OWL, which will prove to be a valuable resource for regulators, retailers and ultimately consumers. This self-initiated effort demonstrates a commitment by leading manufacturers to enhance transparency around lawful dietary supplement products,” Melville adds.

Last week, the American Botanical Council (ABC) announced its endorsement of the Supplement OWL, stating, in part “…we believe that this new program, in principle, helps fill a vital need in the dietary supplement industry…”

“We commend both CHPA and ABC for their support, and we thank those companies who have demonstrated leadership by having already submitted their labels and those who are in the process of doing so. From the beginning, we viewed this as an industry-wide initiative that will succeed only if a significant number of companies participate. We fully expect the registry will continue to grow as companies look for ways to demonstrate industry accountability to regulators and consumers,” Mr. Mister says.