CRN Releases Handbook on Vitamin, Mineral Safety

WASHINGTON—International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations (IADSA) announced the release of The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN)’s latest handbook, “Vitamin and Mineral Safety," for distribution to its wide audience of international regulators and stakeholders familiar with the IADSA name and values.

“The original CRN report on the upper levels of vitamins and minerals has proved to be one of the key reference points for policy makers and regulators when considering issues around supplementation," said Simon Pettman, executive director, IADSA. “I am sure that this new updated publication will prove to be equally valuable."

During the next six months, IADSA will be involved in workshops and other events with governments where the publication will be distributed and discussed. The Codex Nutrition Committee, which will take place in Bali at the end of the year and bring together many of the world’s regulators in the food and nutrition area, will also provide a key opportunity for decision-makers to access the report.

“As a member of IADSA, CRN is pleased to see the efforts of our own science team and consultant amplified through the Alliance’s international distribution of the ‘Vitamin and Mineral Safety’ book, and we are excited that our membership in IADSA allows a global platform to promote science over politically-based policy making," said Steve Mister, CRN President & CEO. “We hope that policy makers worldwide will refer to the book for objective scientific analysis to inform their decisions on appropriate safe levels of nutrients."

The “Vitamin and Mineral Safety" handbook, released earlier this year by CRN in its third edition, presents science-based recommendations for establishing tolerable upper intake levels (ULs) for supplemental sources of vitamins and minerals, making it a useful resource for dietary supplement and dietary ingredient manufacturers, as well as scientific bodies and regulatory policy makers across the globe.

“Codex, multinational regulatory and standards-setting bodies are charged with evaluating safety and efficacy data in order to set recommendations that meet the needs of their populations, while not exceeding ULs," said James C. Griffiths, Ph.D., CRN’s vice president, scientific & international affairs. “IADSA’s broad distribution of the ‘Vitamin and Mineral Safety’ book will be of great value in these endeavors."

CRN also recently held its “Day on the Hill" gathering, where more than 70 high-level executives met at the U.S. Capitol to urge Congress to pass the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act (DASCA) of 2014 and oppose the Dietary Supplement Labeling Act (DSLA).