Orrin Hatch: “before I close, let me take this opportunity to express my views on an issue which I know is also of deep concern to…”

“before I close, let me take this opportunity to express my views on an issue which I know is also of deep concern to this body: The Food and Drug Administration's continued efforts to persecute the dietary supplement industry. The FDA's persistent hyper-regulatory zeal in removing products from the market and limiting consumer access to legitimate scientific information never fails to amaze me. The urgent need prompting my legislation--S. 784--to create a rational regulatory environment for dietary supplements is being underscored this morning. Eleven of America's foremost scientists, acting at the behest of the Alliance for Aging Research, issued a recommended daily level for antioxidant vitamins, vitamins which can prevent heart disease, cancer, cataracts, and other conditions associated with aging. What is significant about this event is that these scientists and the Alliance for Aging Research are being forced to have a press conference to publicize antioxidants, because the FDA has refused to tell the public about their benefits.”