DSHEA: Where we were when it passed 25 years ago today

SupplySide and Natural Products INSIDER leaders Heather Granato and Jon Benninger look back at the law that spurred large growth in the supplement industry.

4 Min Read
DSHEA-Orrin Hatch.jpg
Jon Benninger, vice president and Market Leader, Informa Markets health and nutrition and Heather Granato, vice president, content, Informa Markets health and nutrition with Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), c. 2000

SupplySide West last week gave us a great opportunity to not only celebrate the 25th anniversary of the passage of the Dietary Supplement Health & Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), but also reflect on how the law came to be, the people and events around it, and what the future holds.

In the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA) member meeting, and the two-hour panel discussion about DSHEA, Loren Israelsen, president, noted we should probably take the 25th as a good time to stop celebrating and focus on what’s ahead. Point taken, but it’s also informative and, honestly, fun to recall how everything came to be.

Heather Granato, vice president, content, Informa Markets health and nutrition:

Throughout 1993 and 1994, working as the assistant managing editor at Natural Foods Merchandiser, we regularly covered the efforts to involve consumers to force Congress to reign in an overly aggressive FDA that didn’t (and probably still doesn’t) believe that dietary supplements could be a safe and efficacious part of a healthy lifestyle. Photos of blackout days at health food stores coast to coast, petitions and postcards to encourage shoppers to tell their Congressional reps to “stop taking away my supplements,” and even the famous Mel Gibson commercial—it all came together to make us feel we were making a difference. Even more than that, it was an opportunity to combine a consumer’s right to make their own decisions with an industry’s chance to develop and deliver health-promoting products while talking about their benefits. While the third-party literature clause seems quaint in today’s internet age, the desire for making informed purchase decisions has not abated.

Throughout the process, my boss, Frank Lampe [the current vice president of communications, UNPA], was actively involved and sharing insights with our team; they weren’t always optimistic, but we were playing an important part in keeping the industry informed. But if Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) could find common ground, anything was possible.

When the bill finally made it through Congress, not on a vote, but unanimous consent to accept the amended House Bill, and was signed by President Bill Clinton, it finally codified a definition for a class of goods that consumers are driven to purchase. The marketplace responded, with media, events and consumer forums designed to support conversation about the role of supplemental nutrition to support optimal health.

As we look to the future, we all have the opportunity to collaborate to truly bring more health to more people, supplying products that are safe, efficacious and supported with science.

Jon Benninger, vice president and Market Leader Informa Markets health and nutrition:

I entered the health food industry in 1990 while in college, and the political, social and regulatory battles that lead to DSHEA inspired me and pulled me in. It was clear that FDA and powerful people in Congress and health care did not believe in dietary supplements or natural products, and they intended for them to be regulated off the market. This was not new, as prior battles for access to supplements had been fought (and won) in the 1960s and 1970s.

In this latest battle for access to supplements and information about them, it would take a massive effort to win. This included the incredible grassroots efforts of consumers who wanted their supplements (they wrote more letters to Congress on this issue than on any issue in U.S. history other than the Vietnam War). It included community action centers set up in health food stores to drive awareness and involvement. And it garnered unprecedented support from groups like Citizens For Health, National Nutritional Foods Association (now Natural Products Association [NPA]) and industry leaders such as Hal Drexler of Country Life, Jerry Kessler of Nature’s Plus, the Blechman family from Twinlab, the Skolnick family from Solgar, the Murdock family from Nature’s Way and many more.

It was an amazing time to be a part of this industry, and it inspires me to this day. Following the passage of DSHEA, I joined Virgo Publishing in 1995 to launch a new B2B magazine covering the supplement industry. Then we launched Natural Products INSIDER in 1996 and SupplySide in 1997. It has been a great journey from then until now, and I expect we will have another fight on our hands in the future, pitting those of us who cherish our right to manage our health as we choose against those who tell us what we can have access to. When that time comes, I will be here to answer the call, and I hope that you will, too.

 

About the Authors

Heather Granato

VP, Partnerships & Sustainability, Informa Markets, Food EMEA division

Heather Granato is a 30-year veteran of the natural products industry, currently serving as vice president, partnerships & sustainability, in the Food EMEA division of Informa Markets. She is based in London, and leads efforts related to industry partnerships and broader sustainability initiatives for the Vitafoods and Food ingredients brands. She has been a presenter at events including SupplySide, Vitafoods, Food ingredients, Natural Products Expo, the Natural Gourmet Show and the Folio: Show. Her publishing experience includes Natural Products Insider, Food Product Design, Vitafoods Insights, Country Living's Healthy Living, Natural Foods Merchandiser, Delicious Magazine and WomenOf.com. Granato serves as the founding president of Women In Nutraceuticals, a global non-profit founded in 2022 focused on empowering women in the nutraceutical industry; she is also on the board of directors for the Organic & Natural Health Association. From 2016 to 2022, she was a vice president on the national governing board of Kappa Alpha Theta women’s fraternity. Granato was named to the FOLIO: 100 list of top media professionals in 2018, and was selected as a 2015 Top Woman in Media by FOLIO:. She received the 2014 Visionary Award and the 2018 Journalistic Excellence Award from the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA); and was honored with the CEO Merit Award for Content from Virgo in 2014. Granato graduated magna cum laude from the University of Richmond, Virginia, in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

Jon Benninger

Informa

Jon Benninger is vice president and market leader at Informa Markets. He focuses on the strategic direction and growth of the SupplySide portfolio, which includes SupplySide West, SupplySide East, Natural Products Insider and Food & Beverage Insider. He coordinates with leaders of the other Informa health and nutrition events and brands, including Natural Products Expo West, Vitafoods, Food ingredients, Nutrition Capital Network, Nutrition Business Journal and MarketReady Insights.

Benninger joined the company in 1995 as the founding editor of the company’s first trade magazine for the nutrition industry. In his free time, Jon loves to cook for family and friends; if you are ever in Phoenix and want to enjoy a meal, all you must do is choose a country, region, or city, and Jon will cook it for you.

Jon Benninger

VP & Market Leader – SupplySide

Summary

  • Helped launch the SupplySide business in 1995.

  • Active in industry associations and initiatives and leads strategic partnerships for SupplySide.

  • Cares deeply about supply chain, quality, and innovation issues that drive industry growth and success.

Awards

  • ABC Mark Blumenthal Community Builder Award, 2018

  • Vitamin Angels Grateful Acknowledgement for Supporting Global Children’s Health, 2018

  • AHPA Visionary Award, 2014

  • NPA Industry Champion Award, 2014

  • CRN Crystal Apple Award for Industry Leadership, 2010

Current Volunteer Positions

  • Board Chair and Board Trustee, Sonoran University of Health Sciences (formerly Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine)

  • Founder and Board Representative, Nutrition Advisory Council, Sonoran University of Health Sciences

  • Director’s Circle, American Botanical Council (ABC)

  • Communications Committee, American Herbal Products Association (AHPA)

  • Communications & Media Outreach Committee, Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN)

  • Company Council, International Association of Dietary Supplement Associations (IADSA)

  • Mentor, Women In Nutraceuticals

Past Volunteer Positions

  • President, Dietary Supplement Education Alliance, 2006 – 2008

  • Board of Directors, Dietary Supplement Education Alliance, 2001 – 2006

  • Board of Directors, Citizens for Health, 1999 – 2001

Speaker Credentials

  • "Trends in the US Market for Healthy and Functional Foods and Ingredients, Hi-Japan, Tokyo, 2019

  • “Trends Overview for Japanese Delegation to Natural Products Expo West” Anaheim, CA, 2019

  • “China: Impossible to Ignore” UNPA Member Retreat, Charleston SC, 2019

  • “Trends Overview for Japanese Delegation to Natural Products Expo West” Anaheim, CA, 2018

  • “Nutrition Industry Overview” US-China Business Exchange Dinner, Anaheim CA, 2018

  • “Industry Outlook: Market & Key Factors” National Enzyme Annual Meeting, Branson, MO, 2017

  • “State of the Human Dietary Supplement Industry” NASC Annual Conference, Austin, TX, 2016

  • “Consumer Concerns of Safety & Efficacy in Supplements” UNPA Member Retreat, Hawaii, 2016

  • “Nutrition, Health and Wellness Trends” Cactus IFT Meeting, Phoenix AZ, 2013

  • “Key Industry Events & Media in the US Market” World Ayurveda Congress, Bangalore, India, 2010

  • “Trends in the Dietary Supplement Industry” Pacific Technology Exchange, Los Angeles, 2010

  • “Succeeding in the US Market for Healthy Products” 4th Nutraceutical Summit, Mumbai, India, 2008

  • “Selling to the US Health Food Industry” Keynote Address, ANIPRON, Mexico City, 2007

  • 1997 – present: moderator/host at SupplySide events

  • 1997 – present: Frequent host/moderator of industry conference sessions, panel discussions & town halls

Resides in

  • Phoenix, AZ

Education

  • Arizona State University, B.A Journalism, 1991

Contact

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