Representative Maxine Dexter, M.D. (OR-03) introduced a House companion to Senator Dick Durbin’s Dietary Supplement Listing Act of 2026, a measure that would require manufacturers to register product names, ingredient lists, labels, allergen statements, and health claims with the FDA. The bill preserves DSHEA’s premarket framework and does not authorize premarket approval, but its sponsors argue the 1994 law has left FDA without basic visibility into the roughly 80,000 products now on the market. Trade associations remain split, with some welcoming the transparency push and others warning it sets the stage for heavier-handed future regulation.

The FDA announced a July 23-24 advisory committee meeting to reconsider whether seven peptides, including BPC-157 and TB-500, should be permitted for routine compounding after being removed from the allowed list in 2023 over safety concerns. The move follows repeated public pledges by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a self-described “big fan” of peptides, to broaden access. For the supplement industry, the outcome will shape where compounded peptides sit relative to DSHEA’s framework for lawful ingredients and bear directly on future NDI and drug-exclusion analyses.

In testimony before Congress this week, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. navigated tensions between his Make America Healthy Again base and White House political priorities heading into the 2026 midterms. The reporting underscores how supplement and nutrition policy, including DSHEA modernization, disclaimer reform, and peptide access, has become a high-stakes political issue. Industry observers say the agenda’s durability depends on Kennedy retaining influence inside an administration increasingly attentive to swing-state messaging on health care costs.

The FTC published its proposed consent order against Vanilla Chip LLC, doing business as TruHeight, for unsubstantiated height-growth claims targeted at children and teens, along with use of fake reviews. The order imposes a $4 million judgment, partially suspended based on inability to pay, plus a $750,000 payment and strict prohibitions on unsupported structure/function claims. The case reinforces that DSHEA compliance on claim substantiation extends beyond labeling into advertising, endorsements, and incentivized reviews.

New Jersey-based Vitaquest International initiated a voluntary recall of roughly 356,140 iron-containing dietary supplements sold under brands including Bari Life, Bird&Be, Biote, Dr. Fuhrman, NuLife, and Sakara, citing non-compliant packaging under the Poison Prevention Packaging Act. No injuries have been reported, but the CPSC flagged a “risk of serious injury or death” for young children. The episode is a reminder that packaging obligations sit alongside label and cGMP compliance in the full supplement regulatory stack.

SupplySide Connect New Jersey closed two days at the Meadowlands Exposition Center with more than 260 exhibitors focused on women’s and men’s health, longevity, cognitive function, and gut health. Organizers described a sharp pivot toward ingredient-level competition, where buyers increasingly demand specific strain, mechanism, and clinical data rather than generic category claims. The shift raises the bar for DSHEA-compliant substantiation and documentation across the supply chain.

Post-show analysis from SupplySide Connect highlighted ingredient brands like CollaSel and Naticol competing on bioavailability, absorption data, and targeted outcomes rather than category positioning. The ingredient-first model is pushing brand owners to invest in clinical trials and traceability to defend premium pricing. Industry counsel note the trend also strengthens paper trails that can help demonstrate DSHEA compliance in FDA and FTC inquiries.

Vitaquest International expanded its VQ Cares program in partnership with the Council for Responsible Nutrition Foundation, Direct Relief, and the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics, donating dietary supplements to patients at free and charitable clinics nationwide. The initial donation was fully distributed within a week. The philanthropic push lands alongside separate CPSC recall pressures on the company, illustrating the dual reputational tracks major contract manufacturers now navigate.

NutraIngredients rounded up the latest clinical evidence behind menopause-targeted supplements, including a randomized trial of standardized shatavari extract showing 77.3% improvement in somatic symptoms and 74.5% improvement in psychological symptoms at higher doses. The review reinforces a broader shift toward symptom-specific, evidence-backed women’s health formulations. For DSHEA-regulated brands, rigorous RCTs remain the cornerstone of defensible structure/function claims.

A wave of new product launches is targeting specific menopause stages, from perimenopause mood support to postmenopausal bone health, with formulators moving beyond generic “women over 40” positioning. Precision marketing raises the stakes for ingredient identity, dosage, and claim substantiation that DSHEA and FTC advertising rules demand. The trend also creates opportunities for branded, clinically studied ingredients to command premium shelf space.

The FDA public comment period on dietary supplement ingredient scope closes April 27, 2026. This docket will shape how novel ingredients, including precision-fermented and cell-cultured compounds, fit within DSHEA’s definition. Make your voice heard before the deadline.

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