NSF Seminar Addresses Industry Hot Buttons

NSF Seminar Addresses Industry Hot Buttons

Miss the Event? See the photos here

In an all-day session taking place Dec. 4 at SupplySide West,NSF International held a dietary supplement seminar that covered such areas ofinterest as food safety, adverse event reporting and liability.

According to Bill Soller, Ph.D., director of science andtechnology at the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (AHPA), "We'velost power over the retail shelf as places like Wal-Mart have begun to masterit."

Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal ProductsAssociation (AHPA), discussed the revamping of the AER system currently beingconducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, it looks like thesystem (known as the CFSAN Adverse Events Reporting System, or CAERS) will becoming out in June 2003 rather than the originally slated May 2003. "All ofa sudden, it's starting to sound like what is happening to good manufacturingpractices (GMPs)," he said.

James Prochnow, an attorney at Patton Boggs LLP (a firm thatalso is counsel for Metabolife), discussed how to stay out of trouble with theFederal Trade Commission (FTC) when labeling dietary supplements. "Themarketing materials may be the final point that has consumers deciding if yourproduct is safe or not," he said.

In regard to liability, Dick Griffin from Griffin ConsultantsInsurance Program, based in Lincoln, Calif., reported that many insurancecompanies do not want to insure supplement manufacturers' ephedra or otherhigh-risk nutraceutical products. He also reported that it does not help whenthe media runs stories on dietary supplement companies being sued, such as therecent $14 million Metabolife case, since insurance companies keep tabs on thesethings--and adjust their rates accordingly.

One of the highlights of the presentations included thepresenters asking the audience's opinion--via an electronic voting box at eachperson's table and with the theme song to "Jeopardy" playing in thebackground--on certain industry issues. For example, it was found that 96percent of attendees believed companies should voluntarily report adverse eventreports (AERs).