American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) > News

Free GRMA webinar on new ANSI-accredited auditing standards

Learn the benefits and implementation costs of the new GRMA ANSI-accredited auditing standards

AHPA is partnering with the Hemp Industries Association (HIA) to present a webinar on Feb. 21 aimed at helping the herbal products industry understand the evolving regulatory landscape for hemp and cannabidiol (CBD) products.

FDA Announces New Attention to Dietary Supplement Regulations

Prominent focus on public health and safety, mandatory product listing and new dietary ingredients

AHPA submits comments on use of dairy names for plant-based product labels

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.

AHPA Member Reception at ExpoWest

Our way of thanking members for all their invaluable contributions

AHPA Members and their friends are invited to the AHPA Member Reception at Natural Products Expo West. No registration required. This is AHPA's way of thanking you for all you do to promote the responsible commerce of herbal products.

Revised Hemp-CBD Status Report

How hemp and CBD companies are impacted by passage of the Farm Bill

Congress passed a Farm Bill in 2018 that included historic provisions to legalize hemp, the low THC cultivars of the Cannabis sativa L. species. This landmark legislation changes how hemp and hemp-derived products like cannabidiol (CBD) are regulated in the U.S. To help the herbal products industry understand the new regulatory landscape, AHPA has expanded this Status Report and to answer industry questions about the new legal landscape.

USDA’s final rule for GMO labeling ignores recommendations of consumers and AHPA

Final rule hinders consumer access to information on genetically modified foods

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.

AHPA to expand Board of Trustees under new bylaws

AHPA creates Tenured Trustees and Appointed Trustees to expand and enrich Board

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.

Lessons in herb safety from The Cleveland Clinic Chinese Herbal Medicine Program

Clinic reports only six mild adverse events since 2014

Nationally board-certified acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist at the Cleveland Clinic Galina Roofener shared safety data and lessons learned from the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute’s Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine (TCHM) Program at her keynote delivered at the American Herbal Products Association’s (AHPA’s) 7th Annual Botanical Congress presented on Nov. 10 in Las Vegas at the SupplySide West trade show.

FDA Update by ODSP Director Steven Tave Presented at 7th Annual AHPA Botanical Congress

Tave outlines collaborations between FDA and supplement industry to ensure consumer safety

The American Herbal Products Association’s (AHPA’s) 7th Annual Botanical Congress featured a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) update by Steven Tave, FDA’s Director of the Office of Dietary Supplement Programs (ODSP), who highlighted recent collaborations between the responsible supplement industry and FDA toward the shared goal of a well-regulated dietary supplement market.

Dietary Supplement Trade Associations Warn Consumers of Dangerous Substance Illegally Posing as a Dietary Supplement

Supplement industry sounds the alarm about the dangers of “phenibut,” a substance being illegally marketed in products fraudulently labeled as dietary supplements

Developed and used as a drug in the former Soviet Union for its supposed brain-enhancing properties, phenibut is not approved as a drug in the United States, nor does it meet the regulatory requirements to be sold in, or as, a dietary supplement. The ingredient should be considered dangerous, and has been associated with potentially serious side effects and great risk for addiction.

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