NPA to China: Increase transparency, U.S. imports

WASHINGTON — The Natural Products Association on Wednesday outlined five key industry issues for the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Office of the United States Trade Representative for the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade.

The NPA focused on removing barriers for trade to China with recommendations on increasing transparency, clarifying and reforming regulations, and enhancing export opportunities.

“Ranking fourth in sales behind the United States, Japan and Europe, China is a market of growing importance for dietary supplement makers and the natural products industry at large,” stated John Gay, NPA executive director and CEO. “NPA continues to play a constructive role with U.S. and Chinese officials to work toward the goal of increasing U.S. exports.”

NPA’s recommendations focused on five key areas:

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  Product registration: Reduce the time and cost of registering new and existing products with China’s State Food and Drug Administration;

  
  


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  Functional claims: Expand China’s list of approved functional claims and simplify the regulatory process;

  
  


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  Potency restrictions: Modify potency-level restrictions to conform to current dietary supplement research;

  
  


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  Dosage form: Clarify among regulators, custom agents and manufacturers the form in which dietary supplements may be sold in China; and

  
  


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  Gray market activity: Eliminate ambiguity and the restrictive nature of current regulations to encourage companies to follow the SFDA’s regulations.

  
  

For the complete copy of the NPA’s comments, go to NPAinfo.org/comments.