Recently passed state bills have huge ramifications for prenatal and children's supplements, says CRN

On September 17, 2025, The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN; Washington, D.C.) sounded the alarm about the passage of Senate Bill 646, which would have required vitamin manufacturers to test each lot of their product for heavy metals and submit the results to the state to be shared publicly. CRN’s concern was that the raw data presented without context would encourage women to avoid taking prenatal vitamins.

“By forcing manufacturers to release test results to consumers without sufficient explanation, the bill risks convincing pregnant women that prenatal vitamins are unsafe, when the opposite is true,” said Steve Mister, president and CEO of CRN, in a press release. Most pregnant women don’t get the recommended requirements of iron, choline, vitamin D or omega-3s from their diets alone. Mister explained, “The danger is that women will either avoid supplements altogether or choose products stripped of critical nutrients like calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc simply to show lower heavy-metal numbers.”

This is particularly important when you consider that pregnant women often fail to meet nutritional requirements through diet alone, and that supplements can fill important nutritional gaps. The bill has been presented to the Governor, but not yet signed into law.

Today, CRN announced that a different bill, S.B. 862, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, included clarifying language to baby food testing and labeling requirements established under A.B. 899. Passed in October 2023, A.B. 899, required manufacturers of baby food to test products for toxic elements and disclose the results publicly. That law defined “baby food” as “packaged foods intended for infants and children under the age of two,” but the California Department of Public Health expanded its interpretation to include supplements earlier in 2025. The clarifying language in S.B. 862 makes clear that dietary supplements are not subject to the requirements set forth in A.B. 899.

“California policymakers recognized what we have said all along: dietary supplements are distinct from baby food and should not be subject to duplicative and inappropriate testing requirements,” said Mister in an October 3 press release. “This clarification ensures that consumers continue to have access to safe, beneficial supplement products for their families without unnecessary regulatory confusion.”

Food and supplement safety are important issues and important to safeguard, but such disclosures, says CRN, are alarmist and fail to fully inform consumers of the facts. Children’s nutrition recently made headlines as well on September 22, when HHS announced that leucovorin (folinic acid) would be the first FDA-recognized therapeutic for children with cerebral folate deficiency and autistic symptoms. CRN noted that the announcement “only reinforces the importance of receiving complete nutrition for the health of both mothers and their babies before and during pregnancy.As research continues to emerge on other potential benefits of folate, women are encouraged to discuss these findings with their healthcare providers.”

Folate, also known as vitamin B9, is a highly important nutrient from preconception to breastfeeding, but over half of expectant mothers fall short of the necessary intake. So while some efforts threaten to tarnish prenatal supplements, other efforts open new doors for consumer awareness as well as research.