Amidst the Trump Administration's mass tariff implementation on US imports, Donald J. Trump has exempted certain vitamins and supplement ingredients from these costs.
This follows the Natural Products Association's call to remove tariffs from health-promoting vitamins, minerals and amino acids commonly found in supplements — with the organisation's CEO having many meetings with the Administration's senior members.
United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, has previously endorsed the incorporation of these ingredients into the diet, stating that "exercise, dietary supplements and nutrition — rather than pharmaceutical products — are key to good health," in a recent NBC article.
Trump made the decision to place tariffs on more than 180 countries worldwide due to "large and persistent annual US goods trade deficits," which he claimed to be caused "in substantial part by a lack of reciprocity in our bilateral trade relationships," in a recent executive order.
The exemption includes:
- Vitamins A, C and E
- Vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6, B12
- Niacin/niacinomide
- Folic acid and its derivatives
- Minerals such as zinc, iron, magnesium, calcium and manganese
- Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
This news will likely come as a relief to supplement manufacturers globally, while many other industries brace for soaring import costs.
More stories on the Trump Administration's decisions affecting the dietary supplement industry can be found below:
- The potential elimination of the self-affirmed GRAS pathway for food/supplement ingredients
- RFK Jr.'s plan to boost the safety and nutritional value of US infant formula
- The firing of probationary FDA employees dealing with food and supplement regulation