On January 2, the longest-serving Senate Republican, Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah announced that he would not seek re-election for an eighth term.

Sen. Hatch, who formed and led the Dietary Supplement Caucus in the Senate, co-authored the landmark legislation that established a rational framework for regulating dietary supplements, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA). He also played a critical role in passing the Nonprescription Drug & Dietary Supplement Consumer Protection Act of 2006; enacting the Food Safety Modernization Act in 2011; and shepherding the passage of the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2014—all of which strengthened consumer confidence in dietary supplements. He used his considerable influence to prod U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue final Current Good Manufacturing Practices regulations in 2007 and to elevate FDA’s Division of Dietary Supplement Programs to Office status in 2016, both of which strengthened FDA’s oversight of dietary supplements that nearly 76 percent of Americans turn to for better health and wellness.

“Of all of Senator Hatch’s achievements, his commitment to the dietary supplement consumer will be celebrated most by this industry,” said Steve Mister, president and CEO of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN). “Senator Hatch has been a champion of dietary supplements to be sure, but his insistence on a common sense approach to legislation and regulation has always managed to strike the important balance between safety and access in pursuit of promoting public health.”

“We’ve had the opportunity and privilege to work very closely with Sen. Hatch for more than 40 years. His tenure in the Senate has been one of the most productive in history; the significant legislation he has authored or co-authored is remarkable and has touched the lives of every American,” added Loren Israelsen, president of the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA).

“With DSHEA, Sen. Hatch worked tirelessly to ensure Americans’ rights to make their own health care choices through the wide availability of regulated dietary supplements,” Israelsen continued. “Consumers of these products all owe him a debt of gratitude, and generations of Americans have benefited from his deep support and commitment to help people find their own pathway to health.”