Letter: Not all vitamin makers are equal
A Farmingdale vitamin maker has agreed to stop operations, it was reported July 2, 2014, after a long-running federal investigation into the purity of the products. More than two dozen consumers were reported sickened. Credit: News12
In response to your Aug. 20 news story on supplement companies not abiding by regulations, "The trouble with vitamins," there's actually a tale of two industries: companies that follow the rules, and those that don't.
The overwhelming majority of companies in this industry abide by the law. Responsible companies looking for long-term relationships with their consumers carefully comply with regulations and good manufacturing practices, resulting in safe, high-quality, beneficial products. Consumers would be well-advised to seek out those companies with strong reputations that don't make claims that sound too good to be true or promise druglike results.
More than 150 million Americans take supplements every year for the health benefits they provide. The law gives the Food and Drug Administration ample authority to remove unsafe supplement products from the marketplace, and we encourage the FDA to enforce the law.
Steve Mister, Washington
Editor's note: The writer is the president of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade association representing the dietary supplement industry.
