The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) issued the following statement from Duffy MacKay, Senior Vice President of Dietary Supplements, regarding a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Pediatric Melatonin Ingestions—United States, 2012-2021:
“Keeping young children safe by preventing them from accidentally ingesting dietary supplements is of the utmost importance to manufacturers. Melatonin is a safe and beneficial dietary supplement for adults and children, regulated by the FDA, and consumed by millions of Americans to support and promote healthy sleep and wellness when used as directed on Supplement Facts labels.
“The CDC report appropriately calls for more public education initiatives to prevent accidental unsupervised pediatric exposures to melatonin, such as ‘safe storage’ and ‘appropriate use’ initiatives, and CHPA agrees. CHPA and our members are involved in a number of long-term efforts targeted at preventing accidental unsupervised ingestions by young children including the Up and Away campaign led by CHPA’s Educational Foundation and the CDC’s PROTECT Initiative, which works to educate and remind parents and caregivers about safe use and storage of healthcare products, always keeping them out of reach and sight of curious, young children.
“For more information on the safe storage of medicines and dietary supplements including melatonin, consumers can visit UpandAway.org as well as speak with their healthcare providers.”
