The Organic Concumers Association is participating in a campaign to educate consumers and put pressure on manufacturers of synthetic supplements. They aim to challenge the natural products industry to stop lacing nutritional supplements with innefective and hazardous synthetic chemicals and to instead use genuinely organic, naturally occuring ingredients.

To coincide with the Natural Products Expo West convention, the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) has launched a new public health and truth-in-labeling campaign called Nutri-Con: The Truth About Vitamins & Supplements. Through public education, marketplace pressure, and litigation, OCA's Nutri-Con campaign will expose the hazards and limited effectiveness of synthetic vitamins and supplements, and strive to create mass consumer awareness and marketplace demand for truly organic, "naturally occurring" vitamins, botanicals, and supplements.

"Nutri-Con will alert the public to the fact that 90% or more of the vitamins and supplements now on the market labeled as 'natural,' 'food based' or 'organic' actually contain relatively ineffective and sometimes even harmful synthetic chemicals, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and nanoparticles," according to nutrition expert Dr. Scott Treadway, a co-founder of the campaign. "Part of this campaign will be the implementation of a new set of Naturally Occurring Standard (NOS), certification procedures, and labels, designating products and brands that are truly organic and natural."

Last week, major news publications reported on a peer-reviewed study from the Journal of the American Medical Association which found that a number of synthetic vitamins appear to be damaging the health of consumers.

According to Ronnie Cummins, National Director of the OCA, "In terms of wellness promotion, there is no doubt that an organic whole foods-based diet and a healthy lifestyle are the 'best medicine' for those of us trying to survive and keep our families healthy. But as millions of health-minded consumers complement our organic whole foods-based diet with nutritional supplements, we have a right to know whether these vitamins and supplements are truthfully labeled, and derived from 100% naturally occurring plant and mineral sources, rather than laced with problematic synthetic chemicals that are biologically ineffective, or even damaging to our health."

"Nutri-Con is the opening salvo in a campaign that will revolutionize the $20 billion vitamin and supplements industry. We must stop rampant labeling fraud and move toward promoting organic and naturally occurring products that truly benefit human health and agricultural sustainability," concluded Cummins.

What a great idea. I hope the campaign proves to be measurably successful.