[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 1593-1594]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   IN RECOGNITION OF THE AMERICAN HERBAL PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION (AHPA)

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 14, 2012

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the American Herbal 
Products Association (AHPA) as that organization celebrates its 30th 
anniversary.
  Since AHPA's founding in 1982, the organization has been at the 
forefront of promoting the responsible commerce of herbs and herbal 
products and providing leadership in the herbal products community. 
Started by a handful of growers, processors, manufacturers and 
marketers of herbal products, AHPA has now

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grown into a diverse trade association, representing nearly 300 
companies in the herbal products industry and their affiliated 
businesses.
  AHPA has distinguished itself in the herbal and dietary supplement 
trades for the quality of its work and advocacy before lawmakers and 
regulators. Legislatively, AHPA was an active participant in the 
passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, 
which is the law that established a separate category for dietary 
supplements under a robust regulatory framework. AHPA also played a 
seminal role in the passage of the Dietary Supplement and 
Nonprescription Drug Consumer Protection Act of 2006, which established 
a Federal serious adverse event reporting mechanism for the dietary 
supplements.
  Since its inception, AHPA has also been tireless in its efforts to 
communicate respectfully and clearly with the Food and Drug 
Administration (FDA), the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Fish & 
Wildlife Service, and other Federal agencies on the unique aspects and 
needs of the herbal trade. In recent years, the supplement industry has 
encountered a number of substantive regulatory issues, including a new 
rule for Good Manufacturing Practice compliance, guidance on New 
Dietary Ingredients, and implementation of various Food Safety 
Modernization Act requirements, to name just a few. AHPA has been at 
the forefront with each of these and others, actively and effectively 
interacting with regulatory agencies on proposals that impact the 
regulated community and providing guidance and training to regulated 
businesses.
  AHPA and its members should be commended for their ongoing commitment 
to supporting the responsible commerce of herbs and herbal products in 
the United States. I once again rise to recognize this momentous 
occasion and to wish AHPA a happy 30th Anniversary.

                          ____________________