The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) expressed strong opposition to California Senate Bill 1033, which would impose new state-specific testing, disclosure and labeling mandates on protein powder and other concentrated protein products sold in the state.
CRN supports science-based safety and transparency standards for dietary supplements, but said SB 1033 represents a “misplaced policy approach” that would create burdensome requirements outside the established federal regulatory framework and alarmist messages to consumers. Such measures risk confusing consumers, increasing costs and undermining the uniform national system for dietary supplements.
“Dietary supplements are already regulated under a comprehensive federal framework that includes rigorous Good Manufacturing Practices and contaminant testing requirements,” said Steve Mister, president and CEO of CRN. “Layering additional state-specific mandates on top of that system is unnecessary and counterproductive. It creates regulatory fragmentation without improving consumer safety.”
Under federal law, dietary supplement manufacturers must comply with comprehensive Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) including testing for contaminants and heavy metals, and ensuring products meet established safety standards. While modern techniques can detect small trace levels of naturally occurring elements, this does not equate to risk.
According to CRN, protein products like all food products are already subject to California’s Proposition 65 (Prop 65) regulations, which require warning labels for items that exceed conservative thresholds for heavy metals. Consumers are already alerted if a product exceeds California’s permissible levels.
SB 1033 would instead layer on additional California-specific testing disclosures and labeling mandates for protein powders and related products—a parallel compliance regime unique to one state. It ignores the reality that many food items will have trace amounts of heavy metals from the environment including fresh produce and meats. This kind of patchwork approach would require separate protocols, disclosures, packaging and supply chain adjustments tailored to individual state laws.
“For more than 30 years, dietary supplements have been regulated under a clear, science-based federal framework,” Mister said. “Consumers are best served when there is one national standard—not a growing patchwork of state-by-state mandates. CRN will continue fighting to protect responsible companies, defend consumer access, and ensure supplement policy remains grounded in sound science—not sensationalism.”
For more information, visit www.crnusa.org.
