The libertarian health advocacy organization Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) USA is asking the FDA to approve 118 nutrient-related health claims taken from the government's own scientific publications.
According to ANH, these documents are the most significant regulatory requests in the company's 33-year history.
“For decades, this vital information was hidden from the public, hidden behind FDA bureaucratic red tape, in violation of the FDA Modernization Act of 1997 and the will of Congress,” an ANH spokesperson said.
The petition's requests come to the FDA at a time when food and food safety policy appears to be almost in flux. The reforms proposed by Secretary of State Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Making America Healthy Again (MAHA) program are all on the table.
As of 2022, Americans spent $35.6 billion annually on dietary supplements. Many public health experts believe that spending too much money on something that provides little or no benefit is a waste.
Current food additive policies fall under Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSEA). It defines supplements as foods and thus allows the sale and marketing of these products unless the FDA can demonstrate that they pose a significant or unreasonable risk of harm, rather than requiring the manufacturer to prove the safety or effectiveness of the supplement. The FDA can only take action if manufacturers make medical claims about their products or if consumers become seriously ill because of them.
The ANH ad said: “Imagine picking up a bottle of Vitamin D and finally being able to read: “Vitamin D may reduce the risk of respiratory infections.” Or choose potassium-rich foods and see: “Potassium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and stroke.”
The petition claims that the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are making suggested science-based statements—the government's own scientists. “And yet, the FDA ignored the rule of law and blocked them for over 25 years,” an ANH spokesperson said. “This is because the agency wants to protect its customers at Big Pharma and prevent you from finding out that even the government is aware of the science behind natural alternatives to drugs.”
ANH believes his petition could help speed up the transformation. The organization says “it will be an uphill battle against the FDA” to “return truth and transparency to public health.”
ANH (USA) was formerly known as the American Association for Health Freedom. It is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization located in Charlottesville, Virginia. ANH (USA) was founded in 1992 as the American Preventive Medicine Association (APMA) and became part of the international Alliance for Natural Health organization headquartered in the UK, in 2009.
ANH (USA) is known for lobbying Congress, filing federal lawsuits, and commenting on executive branch regulations, with a focus on dietary supplements, organic foods, consumer choice, and other health claims. He argues that his policy choices affecting food safety will reduce health care costs.
Health freedom libertarians generally oppose regulation of health care practices.
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