As part of Nutraceuticals World’s 2026 State of the Industry review, Kyle Turk, Vice President of Government Affairs at the Natural Products Association (NPA), warns of escalating state-level efforts that threaten consumer access and the federal framework governing dietary supplements.

The dietary supplement industry faces an existential threat heading into 2026. State legislators across the country are preparing an unprecedented onslaught of bills that would restrict access to dietary supplements, limit consumer freedom, and rewrite decades of federal precedent. These efforts are not isolated. They are coordinated, strategic and ideologically driven. The groups behind them have made clear their intent: to redefine supplements as risky, unregulated products that require state-level control, regardless of the evidence or federal law.

Activist organizations such as the Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders (STRIPED) have fueled this movement with misleading narratives, falsely linking supplements to eating disorders and other public health issues. They deliberately distort the intent and effectiveness of the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), while mobilizing sympathetic legislators and media outlets to advance their agenda. The result is a growing perception problem — one that threatens the very legitimacy of our category in the eyes of policymakers and consumers alike.

The first-in-the-nation restrictions that took effect in New York in 2024 have emboldened our critics. What began as a single misguided experiment has cascaded into a wave of copycat proposals from coast to coast. These bills would impose onerous age restrictions, recordkeeping mandates and labeling requirements that disrupt commerce, penalize retailers and chill innovation. Left unchecked, this patchwork of state laws will dismantle the national regulatory framework that has governed our industry for over 30 years.

The threat is not theoretical but imminent and expanding. Without a well-funded, highly coordinated advocacy effort to counter misinformation and educate lawmakers on the facts, our industry faces substantial financial losses, rising litigation exposure and irreversible reputational damage. STRIPED and its allies are well-resourced, media-savvy and relentless. If we do not meet this challenge with equal intensity, we risk ceding control of our industry’s future to those who fundamentally oppose its existence.

“Our industry’s future depends on our advocacy. To preserve consumer access, protect responsible companies and sustain the innovation that defines our market, we must act now with urgency, unity and the full strength of our resources.”

It is no longer enough to defend our position. We must redefine it. The Natural Products Association (NPA) is mobilizing a proactive, nationwide campaign to restore balance, defend DSHEA’s federal framework and reassert the value of dietary supplements in preventive health.

NPA continues to support the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement because it aligns with our 90-year mission to promote wellness, preventive care and consumer choice. We are advancing federal reforms to expand access through Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), ensuring that supplements are recognized as essential components of health and wellness.

Our industry’s future depends on our advocacy. To preserve consumer access, protect responsible companies and sustain the innovation that defines our market, we must act now with urgency, unity and the full strength of our resources.

The stakes could not be higher. As we approach 2026, the dietary supplement industry faces existential threats that will shape its future for decades. If we allow our critics to define our destiny, we will lose not just market share but the freedom for consumers to make informed choices about their own health. Now is the time to invest, mobilize and defend the national framework that has fueled innovation, safety and consumer confidence for more than 30 years.