Workshop Planned for Entry to Russian Supplement Market

BRUSSELS, Belgium—The International Alliance of Dietary Supplement Associations (www.IADSA.org) has planned a workshop for companies interested in entering the Russian dietary supplements market. Key government officials from Russia will be on hand at the one-day event, scheduled for Sept. 13 in Washington, D.C., which will focus on a review of the current Russian regulations on vitamins, minerals and other dietary supplements, including registration procedures, voluntary certification of dietary supplements in Russia label requirements, rules on distribution of dietary supplements in Russia, and forthcoming legislation. Other key issues to be discussed include quantity restrictions on ingredient dosages, the use of genetically modified substances, and alcohol-containing dietary supplements.

The workshop, “Dietary Supplements in Russia: Regulation, Registration and Certification—Mastering the Approval Processes”, was organized by IADSA in conjunction with U.S. trade associations— the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), Natural Products Association (NPA) and United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA); speakers will include Dr. Liudmila Simkalova and Dr. Margarita Voronina, both senior officials from Russia’s Federal Agency for Consumer Rights and Human Wellbeing.

“We are honored these senior officials are attending this IADSA event to help guide international companies on how to access the Russian market,” said Ric Hobby of IADSA. “While a number of European and U.S. companies have been successful in Russia, the conditions of market entry still remain relatively unknown outside the country. We could not have more qualified speakers to provide guidance.”

Additional speakers will include Gregory Temkin, president and CEO of Russian Standard Ltd., who will explain how to master the regulatory process and avoid pitfalls; and Anna Grinchenko, regulatory specialist for Amway Russia, and Lynne Goodwin, technical regulatory analyst at Access Business Group, who will provide a case study of the approach their companies took to ensure their wide-range of products were approved, including lessons learned from this approval process.