CRN celebrates 10-year anniversary of self-regulation initiative

WASHINGTON — The Council for Responsible Nutrition Foundation on Friday paid tribute during its annual conference in California to the 10-year anniversary of its partnership with the National Advertising Division on a self-regulatory advertising monitoring program that the Federal Trade Commission has called “an excellent example of self-regulation.”

“The CRN/NAD initiative shows just how impactful meaningful self-regulation can be," commented Edith Ramirez, chairwoman FTC. "The program has been a valuable complement to the FTC’s own enforcement efforts to eliminate fraud in this industry.”

“I’m very proud of CRN’s members that 10 years ago they took what I think was a brave decision to put a stake in the ground and say we’re going to do something about misleading advertising," stated Steve Mister, president and CEO, CRN.

CRNF has provided grants through 2017, totaling more than $2.1 million since the program’s inception in 2016.

To date, NAD has completed over 250 challenges.

The program executed by the NAD, a service of the advertising industry administered through the Council of Better Bureaus, monitors, reviews and challenges dietary supplement advertisements to ensure that ads are truthful and non-misleading.



At the program’s launch in 2006, CRN urged the dietary supplement industry to police the advertising marketplace through an industry campaign headlined “There’s a new sheriff in town. You!” On Friday CRN unveiled a new promotional campaign geared to the industry in support of the program. The new ads replace the sheriff with a super hero and urge the industry to “protect our consumers” from misleading advertising with the headline “Stand Up for Truth in Advertising” and tagged “We’re making the future of advertising safer.”