FDA Petition Filed Requesting Irradiation of Dietary Supplements:(Updated Dec. 18, 2007)
Citizens for Health
Dear Supporter,
On December 17, 2007, Citizens for Health (CFH) joined with the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) in opposing a petition filed with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow the use of ionizing radiation for the control of microbial contamination on dietary supplements and dietary ingredients.
AHPA became aware of the petition when it was referenced in the preamble to FDA's final rule on current good manufacturing practice for dietary supplement on June 25, 2007.
Click Above to Read More and Send Your Letter Opposing Irradiation of Supplements!
In requesting that the petition be denied, AHPA identified several concerns, including that because "proper handling of these ingredients under current good manufacturing practice is usually sufficient to ensure that dietary supplements are not subject to microbial contamination that presents any risk to the health of consumers of these products . . . there is generally no need for ionizing radiation as a treatment for this class of goods."
We have joined with AHPA because we know what you do - that dietary supplements have a strong track record of safety established over years, decades, and in some cases, centuries of use by people all aorund the world. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) established that the law here in the United States affirms that supplements are considered safe unless proven otherwise. Yet the filers of the petition believe our supplements need to be bombarded by radiation at levels 3 to 30 times higher that is currently allowed for all but two food categories.
Click Above to Read More and Remind FDA that Supplements are Already Safe!
Remember that now, as it has been at every point in our nation's history, if it were not for the dedication of the few, the vast majority of us would not enjoy the rights and freedoms we do. Your voice is needed now to preserve our access to food and supplements free from irradiation.
Thanks for taking action,
The Citizens for Health Team
(UPDATE Material)
UPDATE: FDA Petition Filed Requesting Irradiation of Dietary Supplements:
Join CFH and AHPA in Saying "NO" to Irradiation!
Dear Supporter,
Earlier today I alerted you to our position in opposition to a petition filed with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow the use of ionizing radiation for the control of microbial contamination on dietary supplements and dietary ingredients.
Unfortunately, because the format of the alert and letter were different than those to which you are normally accustomed, a number of you were confused about how to proceed, or believed you were encountering problems with your email addresses or log-in names and passwords. I have sent this follow up to clarify/correct things in a way that will make it easier to make your voices heard. I also want make sure everyone gets the message, not just those who took the time to contact me about it.
There were two reasons for the nature of this email alert:
- The FDA has been discouraging comments to individual email addresses, and has preferred written letters or comments submitted using their website's comments form
- Individually crafted letters are seen as carrying more weight than many similar letters or emails
However, the priority here is that you can be heard on this issue, not the manner in which you are heard. So, please follow this link to send a letter the way with which you are familiar:
Click Here: Stop the Irradiation of Supplements NOW!
salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/750/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=22037
Remember that now, as it has been at every point in our nation's history, if it were not for the dedication of the few, the vast majority of us would not enjoy the rights and freedoms we do. Your voice is needed now to preserve our access to food and supplements free from irradiation.
Thanks for taking action,
Frank Herd, Jr
Executive Director