US trade body the Natural Products Association has submitted a Citizen Petition on behalf of a member company to the Food and Drug Administration – the first request of its kind – in a bid to secure lower testing costs for nutritional supplements.
The request was made by the NPA on behalf of supplement manufacturer Bergstrom Nutrition. It is the first time a manufacturer has submitted a Citizen Petition requesting a reduction in identity testing while showing no diminution in product quality, based on the company’s historical record of demonstrating high quality.
Bergstrom Nutrition has manufactured OptiMSM®, a nutritional supplement containing methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), for nearly 20 years and is currently its only product.
“This is the first time anything like this has been done and we expect this could have big implications across the industry once approved”
“This request is consistent with the Trump Administration’s commitment to streamlining regulations and making the government more efficient for consumers and businesses,” said Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D., president and ceo of NPA. “Bergstrom ranks among the most reputable companies in the industry and allowing them to streamline their approval process for products with strong science and statistical evidence will save the government and consumers money and increase the quality of nutritional supplements. This is the first time anything like this has been done and we expect this could have big implications across the industry once approved. We look forward to working with the agency to answer any further questions they may have in the course of evaluating this Citizen Petition.”
“Bergstrom Nutrition’s long-standing commitment to providing consistent high quality methylsulfonylmethane from our dedicated facility makes us a perfect fit for a petition of this nature,” said Rodney Benjamin, Bergstrom’s director of R&D and Technical Support.” “Our goal is to increase efficiencies for our customers thereby saving them time and money,” added Tim Hammond, vice-president of sales and marketing.