AHPA Alerts

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) convened a teleconference meeting on March 18 (FDA Briefing for Foods Stakeholders on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)), which was attended by AHPA president Michael McGuffin and by representatives of AHPA’s general counsel, Kleinfeld, Kaplan & Becker, LLP.

Resources included on this page are intended to assist our members on their sustainability journey and inclusion does not represent verification or endorsement by AHPA. If you feel there are resources missing or if something is included here that does not meet high sustainability standards, please let contact AHPA.

As we all try to adapt to rapid changes, please note that the services AHPA provides and the commitment we share with you to our mission to support responsible commerce in herbal products will not change. We are taking precautions in response to this current emergency, so AHPA’s staff are now all working remotely. Each of us can be reached at our normal phone numbers and email addresses (see here).

Due to overwhelming demand, AHPA is presenting a second, expanded Hemp-CBD Supplement Congress in Portland, OR to provide companies with an understanding of federal and state legal and regulatory obligations and current issues and opportunities in the hemp-CBD market.

AHPA has compiled answers to frequently asked questions and resources to help prepare for and respond to COVID-19. This page will be revised and updated regularly as new information about the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and possible impacts on the herbal products industry and the people who work in this trade becomes available.

Silver Spring, MD – The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), the voice of the herbal products industry, celebrates the 10-year anniversary of its Cannabis Committee today. The Committee was established on March 10, 2010 to address issues related to the safe use and responsible commerce of legally-marketed products derived from Cannabis species, including hemp and hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD).

Washington, D.C. — At the initial Congressional Dietary Supplement Caucus briefing of 2020, held last week, Dr. Richard Kingston, president, regulatory and scientific affairs and co-founder of SafetyCall International, educated congressional staffers on the types of evidence used to monitor dietary supplement safety, including adverse event reports, emergency room visits and poison control center data. Dr. Kingston is an expert on clinical toxicology and pharmacology, poison control, product post-market surveillance, and drug and dietary supplement safety.

The European Food Safety Authority issued a report regarding potential exposure to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) from high consumption of hemp-based foods, the European Commission is finalizing limits for pyrrolizidine alkaloids in food supplements, Italy has set maximum limits on THC in hemp-derived foods and ingredients, the French ban on titanium dioxide in food supplements took effect on January 1, 2020, the German Institute for Risk Assessment has issued a recommendation against the consumption of red yeast rice supplements, and more in this issue of the IADSA Newsflash.

The U.S. dietary supplement industry is aware of the growing concern regarding the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) and of the public’s desire to protect itself against the virus. The four leading trade associations representing the dietary supplement industry support the responsible sale and use of vitamins, minerals, herbs and other dietary supplements that provide many positive benefits promoting better health and wellness. However, we are concerned that some marketers of dietary supplements or other products may be promoting them with claims of prevention or treatment of Coronavirus.