That is just DUMB!! I can't believe that!

Thanks for sharing this. I take vitamins daily and I believe they help some.

Tiredbunni, http://secure3.convio.net/aahf/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=833 isn't coming up, says site not found?

I believe the FDA is over stepping boundaries here. I had read something from this other website I go to all the time called Dr. Mercola.com and he's a big whistle blower greedy corporations and on things that could harm our health.

@ Alexana and others -

please use this link to sign petition
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/new-law-could-empty-vitamins-aisle-2554533/ At the bottom of the article it says to "click here" to sign petition which is a secured site.

or this link as the petition also

http://www.anh-usa.org/vitaminwar/

I see at the Alliance of Natural Health in Europe site a petition in for the same issue with vitamins and minerals. They are trying to rid the world of anything good for human beings. They are crazy.

Thank you for posting this. I'm going to put it up on facebook and email it to my friends and family.

thank you for that, sign and delivered..

signed!

Congress passing something like empowering the FDA to ban vitamins is almost laughable! There are hundreds of vitamin supply companies and they have more lobbyists than there are citizens in Washington DC! Add to it, banning vitamin supplements would put tens of thousands more out of work in this economy of high unemployment. I see this as all talk and nothing is going to happen!

Oh yes, and how many thousands of neuros alone tell their MS patients to take vitamin D3? They'll have something to say about this, too!

Bobby

Way before this post I already sent letters to a few of my congressmen and from the letters they sent me they are for this legislation. It is not being portrayed to them all the health benefits.

This is what Carl Levin sent back to me.
"During the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) approval process, new drugs receive extensive scrutiny to determine its safety and the legitimacy of the manufacturers claims regarding the drug. The same level of scrutiny is not typically applied to dietary supplements, and most supplements are not required to have FDA approval. However, the FDA does intervene when adverse events are reported regarding the use of a supplement or if the manufacturer claims that the product can diagnose, cure, treat, mitigate or prevent disease.

I believe it is important to ensure that Americans are not misled into buying or consuming unhealthy or unproven products as a result of false or misleading advertising. I also believe the FDA has an important role in testing products that purport to function as medicine to ensure their safety for human consumption. In light of past tragedies related to the hasty approval of certain medications, it is particularly important that new products meet strict, unbiased safety standards. "

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I would have posted on this but I did this once before when FDA sent letters to walnut and cherry companies because these companies posted valid indept research on the health benefits of their product. The FDA said because of this they (walnuts and cherries) needed to be classified as medicine and as such needed dosage listed on their packaging. It also meant they were misbranded and they (FDA) was going to come after them. However, another DS was offended so I did not want to add another post here.

I agree in going after companies for false advertisement ie you get 100% of your zinc in this product but they use zinc oxide and therefor you can not absorb most of it and not even getting 50% of what you need in a day. This is considered fraud already. So go after them on this bases. The FDA can not handle the power it has let alone give them more.

Best wishes to all,
EP

Oh wow EP, that letter shocks me! Okay, I'm doing the petition, too! They can have my vitamin D3 when they pry from my cold, dead hands! LOL!

I am totally in shock. I am not sure what this is all about. But I wonder if it is because vitamins have no regulation over them as far as I know. Perhaps it is to make vitamins standardized.

First of all, the vitamin companies make a pile of money. I am told that my health food store makes the most money in the wellness section (vitamin department). So the vitamin companies have a lot of money to lobby with. The GNC stores are still in business despite the economy at least in my area.

Second of all, the MS Society has said that Vitamin D is very beneficial to us MSers in the progression and the prevention. So how could the MS Society allow that?

The AARP would go crazy since seniors are one of their biggest consumers of vitamins.

This whole thing does not make sense to me. I am more skeptical of the vitamin companies because they are one of the biggest money makers in the grocery/pharmacy stores. As I said, they make the difference for my health food store in making a big profit and this store is a rather big store. So I wonder if this is a scare tactic by the vitamin companies.

I will talk with my friend at the local GNC store and let you know what he says. He will be honest with me.

I think when it comes to our health choices and food choices, the FDA doesn't need to be involved whatever. We can make our own choices. Let's keep them out of our gardens and out of our supplements.

But if we didn't let the government oversee our foods, we would have all kinds of contaminants. It is the same with vitamins and I don't trust the people making the money.

There is all kinds of sludge being put on fields that our animals are raised on. That needs to be regulated. So when it comes to money, companies do not care about the public. So they do need some overseeing. I am in favor or some standardization. It is all up to the company at the present time and I don't necessarily trust them. We all know when it comes to money, companies can be very unscrupulous.

Wow. This is awful. Thanks for posting this. Am getting in touch with as many people as possible. The FDA has to be stopped from doing this.