The year opened with a new administration and high expectations that a national focus on Making America Healthy Again would usher in more opportunities for preventive health. Many in our industry assumed this would be the moment when nutrition, proactive self-care and consumer empowerment would finally take center stage. But not everything in Washington happens in the first 100 days—or even the first full year. That is where patience and persistence have been essential. Since January, CRN has engaged in extensive dialogue with administration officials, and we are now seeing encouraging signs of alignment.
As I reminded attendees at CRN’s executive conference, “We were MAHA before MAHA was even cool.” That phrase captured what many in the industry already sensed: The principles animating today’s preventive-health policy debates are ones we have advanced for decades. We’ve found common ground with the MAHA movement on increasing nutrition education for healthcare providers and on urging the Dietary Guidelines committee to recognize that millions of Americans fall short of recommended nutrient intakes. Dietary supplements offer a safe, regulated and cost-effective way to close those persistent gaps—and the administration increasingly understands this.
One of the most promising areas of progress this year has been the growing momentum to classify dietary supplements as qualified medical expenses under flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs). CRN commissioned an economic analysis demonstrating the public health and cost-savings potential of this change. When CRN members came to Washington in June for a full day of congressional meetings, we encountered bipartisan support and increased interest from the Administration. Whether through legislation or IRS rulemaking, this could become one of the most meaningful consumer-access achievements in the year ahead.
Patience was also essential as we confronted state efforts to impose age restrictions on certain supplements. After our oral argument for a preliminary injunction in January, we waited until late November for a ruling—one that, unfortunately, did not go our way. The court denied the injunction, granting extensive deference to the New York legislature’s flawed assertion that weight-loss and muscle-building supplements cause eating disorders. But we’re not finished. The law improperly uses truthful and lawful product claims as a stand-in for evidence of harm, a serious First Amendment concern. The court should conduct its own review rather than rely on disproven legislative statements. CRN will continue pressing the case with a petition for rehearing in the new year.
Other state-level proposals required pragmatic solutions tailored to each circumstance. Consider the California bill mandating heavy-metal testing for prenatal supplements. By collaborating with the bill’s author, CRN was able to help shape a law that removes the most onerous provisions while ensuring consumers receive context for the test results they will now see. Helping consumers understand that heavy metals are ubiquitous—and that trace, detectable levels are not dangerous—empowers them to make informed decisions and maintain focus on the reality that many women still fall short on essential prenatal nutrients. It’s not a perfect outcome, but it’s a workable one that supports consumer education and preserves access.
Drug preclusion also re-emerged as a major challenge in 2025. The current system grants pharmaceutical companies exclusivity when they investigate a new ingredient first, but the balance has long tilted too far in favor of drug sponsors, stifling innovation in the supplement sector. After we waited over two years for FDA’s response to our 2023 citizen petition, the agency finally replied in September. While FDA allowed one ingredient back onto the market, it declined to address the structural imbalance created by secret Investigational New Drug (IND) filings that prevent supplement companies from knowing when the “race to market” begins. In response, CRN has concluded that the statute itself must be updated. We are now developing legislation to revise the drug-preclusion framework entirely, proposing that FDA treat precluded ingredients as adulterated products rather than undefined entities with no clear home in federal law. This approach provides clarity, restores fairness and encourages innovation.
The year brought additional challenges as well—from the whiplash of shifting tariff duties to heightened scrutiny of self-GRAS determinations. Each required precise, pragmatic responses that acknowledged the administration’s goals while advocating for sensible, equitable policies that preserve consumer access to affordable, health-promoting products. With the expertise of our team, the engagement of our members and the constructive relationships we maintain across Washington, we have worked to ensure the industry’s voice is both heard and respected.
As we prepare for 2026, the through-line connecting all of this work is another “p” word: progress. Progress made possible by patience, persistence pragmatism—and the partnership of an industry committed to helping Americans lead healthier lives.
