SEE 2024 QUARTERLY REPORTS | SEE Q1 2025 REPORT
The CRN team was active in the second quarter, advancing its work to protect and promote the dietary supplement and functional food industry, balancing challenges and opportunities emerging in today’s unpredictable legislative and regulatory landscape, with a productive “Day on the Hill” and thought-provoking Legal, Regulatory, and Compliance Forum marking the close of a powerful first half of the year.
Following is a brief recap of CRN’s work for its members during Q2 in each of the areas of our 2024–2026 strategic plan:
- Expanding Self-Regulatory Initiatives
- Influencing Public Policy
- Improving Consumer Access
- Cultivating Positive Public Perceptions
- Expanding Membership and Educational Offerings
Download printable one-pager here.
CRN CONVENES INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS, LEGISLATORS FOR HONEST, CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS ON CAPITOL HILL
Dietary supplement industry executives representing CRN member companies gathered in Washington in June for the association's annual "Day on the Hill"—a cornerstone event that promotes direct dialogue between industry leaders and lawmakers.
The day included face-to-face meetings on Capitol Hill with key lawmakers and staff from both sides of the aisle, many of whom play vital roles in shaping the future of nutrition policy in the U.S. Participants advocated for expanded consumer access to dietary supplements through HSA/FSA eligibility and underscored how FDA’s current interpretation of drug preclusion creates barriers to innovation and progress.
CRN members reiterated their support for FDA oversight through the Office of Dietary Supplement Programs (ODSP) and discussed the role of industry-led initiatives to bolster transparency and quality assurance. The groups also raised concerns about economic uncertainties due to potential tariffs.
In preparation for the day, the government relations team engaged with 79 Freshman offices. Following the fly-in, legislators announced the
re-establishment of a Congressional Dietary Supplement Caucus.
Read more in the CRN press release and in coverage in the CRN Supplement newsletter, SupplySide Journal, and NutraIngredients-USA.
CRN ENGAGES WITH USTR AND WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL OFFICIALS TO ADVANCE INDUSTRY PRIORITIES
CRN President & CEO Steve Mister and VP Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Luke Huber met with officials at key U.S. trade offices during the second quarter, most recently in late June, advocating against tariffs on dietary supplements and their ingredients, highlighting the risks to consumer access, domestic jobs, the overall U.S. economy, and public health.
CRN met with officials from the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement (IAPE) at the U.S. Trade Representative and with the White House National Economic Council (NEC) and is committed to working with federal policymakers to ensure consumers’ continued access to safe, beneficial supplements.
IAPE leads USTR’s outreach to state and local governments, business, labor, consumer, and other stakeholder groups. At USTR, CRN also raised the issue of ongoing export barriers in India and Mexico, calling for practical regulatory solutions to ensure fair market access for U.S.-made dietary supplements.
The NEC is the Administration’s hub for coordinating domestic and international economic policy and ensuring that agency actions align with the Administration’s economic objectives. At NEC, CRN underscored the industry’s significant economic footprint and role in preventive health care and shared key points from its Section 232 comments.
CRN PARTNERS WITH NAFC TO EXPAND ACCESS TO NUTRITION FOR UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES
The CRN Foundation and the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC) formally announced their partnership under the CRN Foundation’s Access Initiative, a national effort to increasing access to high-quality dietary supplements and essential nutrition for underserved populations across the country. The initiative has already garnered significant industry support from CRN members including Nutrawise Health & Beauty, Nestlé Health Science Foundation and Vitaquest.
CRN EDUCATES HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS ON SUPPLEMENTS’ ROLE IN PRENATAL NUTRITION, DEFENDS RESPONSIBLE INDUSTRY PRACTICES FOR CRUCIAL CATEGORY
CRN championed the importance of prenatal nutrition at the 2025 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting through a special project of its foundation, made possible with support from CRN members Balchem, Church & Dwight, dsm-firmenich, Kemin, Nestlé Health Science, Niagen Bioscience, OmniActive Health Technologies, and the Unilever Wellbeing Collective.
Separately, CRN’s Government Relations team addressed legislative efforts in California that would impose new heavy metal testing and disclosure requirements for prenatal supplements. The team remains engaged with state lawmakers and other stakeholders with the goal of amending the bill during the legislative process.
CRN CONTRIBUTES TO KEY SESSIONS AT ASN's NUTRITION 2025
Presenting at NUTRITION 2025, the American Society for Nutrition’s (ASN) annual meeting, CRN SVP Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Andrea Wong, Ph.D., shared insights on key topics in prenatal health and professional development. Dr. Wong discussed developments and ongoing challenges in formulating prenatal supplements during a presentation titled “Innovations and Challenges in Prenatal Dietary Supplement Formulation: Bridging Research and Industry Practices.”
In addition, Dr. Wong served as a panelist for “Real Talk: Navigating Change in the Workplace – Fresh Perspectives, Panel Discussions, and Networking,” sharing insights on collaboration across sectors.
CRN PRESENTS ANNUAL LEGAL, REGULATORY, AND COMPLIANCE CONFERENCE WITH ACI
CRN convened legal, regulatory, and compliance experts for its annual forum, in collaboration with the American Conference Institute, which included a fireside chat with Cara Welch, head of FDA’s Office of Dietary Supplement Programs, along with sessions on emerging federal and state policy challenges, advertising compliance, AI innovation risks, global trade impacts, class action trends, and strategies for maintaining online and environmental compliance in a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape. Read reporting from the forum via NutraIngredients-USA.
CRN’S UPDATED EVALUATION RAISES SAFE INTAKE LEVEL FOR MAGNESIUM SUPPLEMENTS
CRN updated its Vitamin & Mineral Safety Handbook, consulted by experts worldwide, raising its recommended safe upper level (UL) for magnesium supplements to 500 milligrams. The revised supplemental UL—up from the previous 400 mg/day—comes as part of CRN’s ongoing release of updated nutrient safety chapters from its flagship reference book, Vitamin and Mineral Safety (4th edition).
CRN FOUNDATION UPDATES ‘VITAMIN D & ME!’ WEBSITE TO HIGHLIGHT THE SYNERGISTIC ROLE OF VITAMINS D AND K2
The CRN Foundation’s “Vitamin D & Me!” website now includes details on the synergistic relationship between vitamin D and vitamin K2—two nutrients that work together to support bone and cardiovascular health. The update to the Learn More section of the website addresses a knowledge gap among the public and provides new scientific context for supplement use. Read more in our press release.
ACCESS EDUCATIONAL CONTENT ON DEMAND
CRN presented a half-day workshop, "Controlling Contaminants in Supplements: Everything You Need to Know," and webinar, "From Research to Reporting: Navigating the Communication of Supplement Science,"—both now available on demand.
GROWING THE ASSOCIATION
CRN welcomed new members in Q2, including voting members Alzchem and Vision Essence and associate member Regulatory Avenues Consulting.