AHPA Updates

On January 28, 2019, AHPA submitted comments to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urging the agency to ensure that any rule or guidance that the agency may adopt on the use of dairy names (e.g., “milk,” “cream,” “butter,” etc.) on the labels of plant-based products expressly does not apply to any such product that is not generally used as a substitute for or marketed to resemble a dairy product.

Join a renowned faculty of herbalists for a hands-on, guided tour of the Fullerton Arboretum's 26-acre botanical garden, featuring more than 4,000 plant species from around the globe.

Effective January 3, 2020, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment added cannabis (marijuana) smoke and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) to the list of chemicals known to the state to cause reproductive toxicity (developmental endpoint) for purposes of California Proposition 65 (Prop 65). At a public meeting on December 11, 2019, the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee (DARTIC) in its official capacity as the “state’s qualified experts” determined that cannabis (marijuana) smoke and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) were shown to cause reproductive toxicity based on the developmental endpoint.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) issued a final rule on December 20 that establishes the new national mandatory bioengineered (BE) food disclosure standard. The final rule does not incorporate significant revisions recommended by AHPA and consumer groups that were aimed at ensuring U.S. consumers can discern if their food includes genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or ingredients derived from GMOs.

The AHPA bylaws were recently amended to create Tenured Trustees and Appointed Trustees, two new categories of trustees to serve on the AHPA Board. Under the new bylaws, AHPA can expand and enrich its Board of Trustees to ensure sufficient expertise to represent all AHPA members and the broader herbal products industry.

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) published slack-fill guidance in 2016 and revised the document in 2019 to help the regulated supplement industry inform consumers and comply with all relevant federal requirements.