Washington, D.C., April 25, 2018—The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the leading trade association for the dietary supplement and functional food industry, today commended Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) for the introduction of S. 2742, the SARMs Control Act of 2018, in the U.S. Senate. The goal of this legislation is to protect consumers from Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs), a dangerous class of ingredients that poses a serious threat to consumer safety, by granting the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) the authority to remove illegal products containing SARMs from the market as controlled substances.
CRN lobbied for the bill because consumers are put at risk and the dietary supplement industry’s reputation is damaged by companies illegally marketing these unapproved drugs as dietary supplements.
“We are grateful for the bipartisan support of Senators Hatch and Whitehouse, and we will work diligently with the bill sponsors and other lawmakers to advance and help pass this important legislation,” said Steve Mister, president & CEO, CRN.
In addition to advocating for legislation to grant DEA emergency enforcement authority over SARMs, CRN is leading a consumer education initiative to raise awareness among consumers, specifically those in the bodybuilding and fitness communities, about the dangers of SARMs. CRN features on its website a toolkit of downloadable and shareable content on SARMs and provides tips on how athletes can protect themselves from products containing these illicit ingredients. The initiative follows warnings from the Food & Drug Administration about SARMs and supports efforts by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) to alert athletes to the dangers of SARMs.
“We are taking the lead to protect consumer safety and safeguard our industry’s reputation, which is why we are taking a stand against SARMs and supporting the passage of S. 2742,” said Mr. Mister. “We encourage Congress to liberate the marketplace from dangerous products and to maintain consumer access to safe, legitimate sports nutrition supplements.”
Note to Editor: The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973, is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing 150+ dietary supplement and functional food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and companies providing services to those manufacturers and suppliers. In addition to complying with a host of federal and state regulations governing dietary supplements and food in the areas of manufacturing, marketing, quality control and safety, our manufacturer and supplier members also agree to adhere to additional voluntary guidelines as well as to CRN’s Code of Ethics. Visit www.crnusa.org. Follow us on Twitter @CRN_Supplements and LinkedIn.