Dateline NBC recently ran a story about the dietary supplement industry focused on the issue of “dry labbing,” which involves laboratories that seem to have all the right equipment to do the proper testing of dietary supplements but do not actually conduct any testing, yet issue fabricated reports on the submitted products.

Dry labbing is part of the larger issue of dietary supplement adulteration and label accuracy. The Natural Products Association, as the leading representative of the dietary supplement industry, has taken several proactive steps in response to Dateline NBC’s story.

The important points we can share with our customers who may be concerned about dietary supplements after viewing the Dateline NBC program:

· Products that contain undeclared drug ingredients are illegal drugs, not dietary supplements.

· Selling products that contain illegal substances is a crime. Those products have no place in the legitimate marketplace.

· We support government action against any laboratories that use improper testing methods.

· Consumers can trust what they read on the labels of dietary supplements. We strongly support efforts to make sure that products contain what the labels claim and are not contaminated.

· Dietary supplements have an excellent safety record. They help millions of Americans address nutritional deficiencies and maintain and improve their health.

The NPA has submitted a statement to Dateline NBC that highlighted these and other important points.

Finally, the NPA’s full statement and response to Dateline NBC is the NPA believes it is vitally important that consumers hear loud and clear the message that dietary supplements are both safe and beneficial for the health of millions.