Dateline NBC airs dietary supplement exposé; CRN responds

NEW YORK — "Dateline NBC" on Sunday aired an exposé concerning certain outliers of the dietary supplement industry during its "Hansen Files" segment featuring Chris Hansen, charging that supplement manufacturers aren't ensuring that those ingredients on their labels are actually in the supplement.

"Our latest 'Hansen Files' investigation shows there is a gaping hole in the safety net when it comes to making sure your supplements are safe and effective," Hansen stated as part of a blog posted Monday on the program's site. "Our hidden cameras will show that when it comes to supplements in America, it can be like the wild west."

“'Dateline NBC' raised some serious issues in its investigative report," stated Steve Mister, president and CEO for the Council for Responsible Nutrition, earlier today. "We are concerned, as any industry would be, when a few companies engaging in fraudulent and criminal activity overshadow the legitimate products sold by responsible companies."

CRN iterated that responsible nutrition companies are compliant with the Food and Drug Administration's Good Manufacturing Practices governing supplements. "We take seriously the allegations raised by this television program of fraudulent laboratory practices and urge the Food and Drug Administration to use its ample legal authority to take legal action."

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