In comments submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 6th, the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) requested revisions to proposed research by the agency on front of package symbols intended to convey the claim “healthy”. In these comments, AHPA requested that FDA expand their research to capture how consumers may respond to the “healthy” symbol in a wider range of package formats, including retail packaged spices and retail packaged tea products.

AHPA has published a revised version of the guidance document titled “Compliance with the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) for Marketers of Chinese Herbal Products” to include the requirements of the recently adopted Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research Act of 2021 (FASTER Act), which adds sesame to the list of major food allergens that require labeling in the United States. The new requirements in the FASTER Act amend the definition of “major food allergen” in FALCPA and take effect on January 1, 2023.

The AHPA Board of Trustees approved two new guidance resources for the hemp industry during its meeting on Tuesday June 29, 2021. The resources are the latest guidance documents developed by AHPA’s Cannabis Committee, which was formed in 2010 to address issues related to the safe use and responsible commerce of legally-marketed products derived from Cannabis species, including products derived from hemp as legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill.

The July 2021 AHPA Report includes:AHPA Webinar: Product Safety Surveillance with webPOISONCONTROL®; AHPA Board announces new Trustee; AHPA Botanical Congress now available on-demand; AHPA Guidance: Federal labeling requirements for herbal dietary supplements; and more!

In a final rule notice published June 25, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Agricultural Marketing Service announced the addition of pullulan to the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (the National List).

Dorothy Wayson, National Policy Manager for the Lacey Act at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), made two significant announcements at an AHPA webinar Wednesday regarding changes to the upcoming Phase VI of Lacey Act’s import declaration enforcement implementation.

AHPA has revised its labeling guidance for herbal dietary supplements to cover updated nutrition labeling requirements for dietary supplements, and is making the updated guidance document available FREE to members.

The June 2021 AHPA Report includes: AHPA has released updates to the Botanical Safety Handbook; AHPA updates GACP-GMP guidance; AHPA updates Primer on CITES; and more!

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) delivered a letter to US Trade Representative Katherine Tai this month requesting the removal of punitive tariffs from a range of products relevant to the herbal products industry.

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has updated its guidance document “Good Agricultural and Collection Practices and Good Manufacturing Practices for Botanical Materials” (AHPA GACP-GMP) to include a new appendix addressing prevention of pyrrolizidine alkaloid contamination.