Indie Beauty Network Applauds Congressional Staffers and FDA For Welcoming Small and Family Owned Businesses
Indie Beauty Network members meet with those considering draft legislation
August 8, 2008
Charlotte, NC - IBN - On August 5, Indie Beauty Network founder and president Donna Maria Coles Johnson and several members of the Indie Beauty Network met with
several Congressional staffers and the Director of the Food & Drug Administration's Office of Cosmetics & Colors to discuss IBN member concerns with the draft of the FDA Globalization Act of
2008.
They were welcomed by staffers in Senator John Kerry's, chair of the Senate Committee on
Small Business & Entrepreneurship; Deputy Communications Director for
Congressman Jesse Jackson,
Jr., who serves on the Agriculture,
Rural Development, food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies
Subcommittee; a staffer assigned to the draft legislation in the House
Committee on Energy & Commerce, where the draft legislation is now pending;
and Dr. Linda
Katz, Director of the Food & Drug Administration's Center
For Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in the Office of Cosmetics & Colors and
Patricia Hansen, Ph.D., one of Dr. Katz's deputies.
IBN's president was joined by Kayla Fioravanti of Essential Wholesale (Oregon), Lela Barker of
Bella Lucce (South Carolina), Anne-Marie Faiola
of Brambleberry (Washington state) and Jamila White of
j.blossom (Maryland). Each member presented
their business and life stories and first-hand insights on how the draft legislation would adversely impact their businesses, including
possibly having to shut down operations completely if the law passes in its current draft form.
"We applaud Director Katz and her staff, as well as the staffers on Capitol Hill for recognizing the concerns raised by IBN and its members companies and their customers over the devastating effect the current draft of the FDA Globalization Act of 2008 would have on member businesses, industry competition and consumer choice,” said IBN president Johnson. “We thank each of them for thoughtfully receiving us and listening carefully to our position."
"We also want to thank the Committee on Energy & Commerce for giving us an opportunity to present additional facts in the coming weeks to further illustrate our position,”
Johnson continued. “We look forward to working with all interested parties to reach an agreement so that the legitimate concerns of small businesses and the consumers they serve can be translated into reasonable laws that protect consumers without also killing small businesses by
imposing unfair fees and burdensome paperwork."
Established in 2000, The Indie Beauty Network is the trade organization for independent manufacturers of soaps, cosmetics, candles, fragrances and aromatherapy products. www.IndieBeauty.com
