The Natural Product Association's new executive director and CEO, John Gay, has 25 years of policy experience in Washington, including working with the food industry, but is a relative newcomer to dietary supplement issues.

Gay succeeds former NPA head David Seckman as multiple issues of concern to the dietary supplement and natural products industry converge on Capitol Hill - comprehensive food safety legislation, steroid-tainted supplements and an anticipated review of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act.

Gay most recently served as senior VP of government affairs and public policy with the National Restaurant Association.

On his first day at NPA, Oct. 28, Gay spoke with "The Tan Sheet" about his goals for the trade group and for advancing the industry, and how previous experience will help him in his new post.

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"The Tan Sheet": How do you see your experience overseeing the restaurant trade group's political action committee translating to the supplement industry and growing its PACs?

John Gay: It was a top business PAC, about $1.5 million a cycle. It was quite a sizeable PAC. I think we have a ways to go in the [natural products] industry as far as building up PACs, but you have to keep in mind that PACs are one tool in a toolbox for advocacy. There's grassroots, there's information, relationships with members of Congress and regulators. So, there are a number of things that will serve us as we're trying to move the ball forward, and the PAC is one that we need to grow.

TS: What are your plans for growing the industry's lobbying influence and funding?

JG: It's clear that we're operating in an atmosphere that is more favorable to regulation than we have in the past, and that will have an impact not just on the supplement industry, but on many industries.

Broadly speaking, the serious economic crisis has led more Americans to seek government intervention, whether it's in the financial markets or in economic stimulus. Closer to our industry, we've seen several major food safety incidents - spinach, peanut butter, etc. - that are driving demand for regulation that ensures that what people eat is safe.

I can't say specifically what we're going to do as far as increasing the influence and specifics of lobbying plans, but I think there's been a lot of good work here that's been done in the past that we get to build on.

TS: What are your expectations for DSHEA?

JG: Clearly Congress hasn't forgotten about DSHEA. I was at a [Senate hearing on steroids called by Pennsylvania Democrat Arlen] Specter a few weeks ago, got a chance to attend that. [House Energy and Commerce Committee] Chairman [Henry] Waxman has made it obvious that he has been disappointed with how DSHEA went, and hasn't forgotten.

[Editor's note: Sen. Specter held a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs to discuss steroids in dietary supplements. Read about the event in ¹ "The Tan Sheet" Oct. 5, 2009 .]

Other hearings, I think, can be expected. The short answer is, yes, there are expectations for Congress looking at DSHEA. ... Does that mean legislation or not, I don't know.

Health care keeps getting pushed back. And obviously you have a number of the same players on this. ... That keeps getting delayed, which makes it look like more and more that other items will get moved into the next year. We've already had one hearing ... so it's not like nothing will happen this year, but I expect that what we're looking at is more activity in 2010 than in 2009.

TS: How do you see your experience helping you in your new role at NPA?

JG: Some issues are starting to sound familiar - food safety, safety of the supply chain and assuring that the products that are provided to the consumer are safe, that sort of thing. ... That was a big issue for the National Restaurant Association, and something our regulatory and legislative folks under me were very much engaged on.

[Editor's note: The House passed comprehensive food safety legislation in July and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is expected to take up its bill before the end of this session ( ² "The Tan Sheet" Sept. 21, 2009 ).]

TS: How do you expect your Capitol Hill relationships to benefit NPA?

JG: Washington is a town of relationships, so it helps that if someone calls you that you know, you're more likely to return the phone call. If somebody that you know tells you something, and it's someone that you trust and have experience with that has brought you truthful information in the past, you're more likely to trust what they're saying about the next subject.

So, I think it will be helpful. It's not a cure-all. Just because you know a staff doesn't necessarily mean they will do what you wanted them to do or even agree with what you say. But if you're known and trusted, it does help you get your message across.

TS: What can you say about goals you expect to have once you're familiar with the issues?

JG: That's when you start getting specific, and you look more closely at what is our advocacy plan for particularly 2010, whether it's legislative or regulatory: Can we get more specific on how we grow the membership? Which categories of membership require which strategies to help grow the membership? It's after I get a lot more knowledgeable that I can work with the rest of the staff here and with board members and members in our committees to craft these strategies, craft the specifics.

TS: What about building synergies with other trade groups?

JG: My understanding is that through the Coalition to Preserve DSHEA and regular lobbyist meetings of various trade associations in the natural health and dietary supplement space, NPA has always sought to present a united front and best utilize resources across groups.

In my experience, you get precious little done in Washington by yourself. Industries are far better suited to make progress when they are united, speaking with one voice. Industries that are split are less effective, and industries that are infighting, that's just downright counterproductive.

So, in my past, working on issues, I sought to build coalitions and enlarge coalitions, bring more people into the tent, speak with a united voice wherever possible, and look at other allied groups in a similar space and groups with similar membership as allies, not rivals.

TS: FDA Principal Deputy Commissioner Josh Sharfstein recently said the supplement industry's biggest problem is steroid-adulterated products. Do you agree with that, and does that stance by FDA help the industry?

JG: I went to the Specter hearing, so I did get to hear a good bit on this. It does seem clear to me that companies that are illegally marketing steroids as supplements, that is a major issue. I think that NPA has always supported greater enforcement efforts and funding for FDA to enforce DSHEA.

I was quite taken by the questioning of the senators of the FDA and [Drug Enforcement Agency officials] about whether they had fully used the powers that had been granted them, and why certain things took a long time, and did they need help moving them forward.

Sens. Specter and [Utah Republican Orrin] Hatch spent a good bit of time questioning the FDA and DEA representatives on why the agencies had acted, or why they had not acted in a timely fashion on some things. And it just seemed like the senators were not satisfied by the answers they had gotten about how the government was using its existing authority.

Again, it seems what we have is a situation where DSHEA provides effective authority for the government to act, and if they're not acting - the first thing is, you have the government use its authority. And if it's a question of money, that they can't exercise it fully, then we support getting them the funding they need to fully enforce DSHEA.

[Editor's note: Sharfstein spoke at the Council for Responsible Nutrition's conference in October ( ³ "The Tan Sheet" Oct. 26, 2009 ).]

- Interview by Katie Stevenson ( ⁴ k.stevenson@elsevier.com )

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