DSHEA Perspectives

Twenty years after the passage for the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), industry executives have recounted personal memories of the law and how it has shaped their lives. In INSIDER’s Digital Issue “Personal DSHEA Moments," readers get a glimpse of the law from industry insiders.

Elan Sudberg, CEO of Alkemist Labs, explains why it was a game-changer for testing labs. He says that without DSHEA or GMPs, there would be no testing labs. “DSHEA made it possible to establish definitions for ingredients and combinations of such, giving rise to vocabulary used to describe the dietary supplement industry," he said. “From that point on, DSHEA established safeguards, such as cGMPs (current good manufacturing practices, 21CFR 111) and new dietary ingredients (NDIs). DSHEA helped to create the lab perspective—the reality—we know, love and thrive from. It not only put Alkemist Labs and our competitors on the map, it created the map."

Pete Croatto sat down with Loren Israelsen, president of the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA) to talk about the time DSHEA passed and what’s to come. In this Q&A, Israelsen discusses the parallels between the DSHEA movement 20 years ago and today’s non GMO (genetically modified organism) initiatives. He also describes a nail-biting Congressional show down when he and everyone else thought the law was toast.

Al Powers, CEO of NOW Health Group, called industry efforts extraordinary as they lead up to DSHEA, but he said industry must not rest now. He said DSHEA serves as an example of what  industry can achieve if it works together, so he encourages membership into trade associations.  

C. Leigh Broadhurst issues a call to action, noting in the past five years, FDA regulatory authority has escalated. She says people taking supplements believe they are doing something healthy that reduces their risk for illness, but they won’t continue if unscrupulous vendors, substandard products and nonscientific approaches thrive in the industry.

George Pontiakos, president and CEO of BI Nutraceuticals, explains the importance of the definition of “dietary supplement," which was outlined in DSHEA.

Read the full versions of these articles in INSIDER’s Digital Issue “Personal DSHEA Moments."