Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) on June 3 filed three amendments to the Department of Defense 2016 spending bill that could have impacted the sale and use of supplements on military bases. The proposed amendments were later removed from the bill following coordinated efforts from the major industry trade associations.

The amendments would have required supplements sold on military bases to be verified by a third-party or comply with Defense Commissary Agency policies for inventory carried by commissaries. In addition, the legislation proposed tracking military personnel’s dietary supplement use and recording adverse events.

According to Mike Greene, vice president of government relations at the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), industry representatives met with legislative offices about why these amendments were problematic, “specifically because they were duplicative and didn’t solve the problems we need solved. Instead they added inappropriate burdens and would have prevented reasonable access to supplements to those in the military.”

He continued, “We know the amendments could be brought up at a later date, and CRN intends to continue building our relationships on the Hill, including keeping the lines of discussion open with Senators Blumenthal and Durbin, and making the case for getting illegal supplements off the market without interfering with the use and sale of legitimate dietary supplements. But for now, we credit this victory to all five trade associations working together to make sure that military access to supplements was not hindered. We’ll also continue to work closely with our colleagues at the other trades to protect the industry and its consumers.”

Steve Mister, president and CEO of CRN, noted that more than half of U.S. soldiers use dietary supplements, according to a 2010 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

“Like Senators Blumenthal and Durbin, we want our soldiers who choose to take dietary supplements to have access to quality products and to responsibly incorporate them into their health regimens. Dietary supplements provide important benefits to all Americans, and can help soldiers stay in top physical condition. We also share concerns about products containing stimulants such as DMAA and similar ingredients that are illegally marketed both to soldiers and to civilians as dietary supplements.”