Herbalife spent $190,000 on lobbying in 1Q

Herbalife Ltd. spent $190,000 lobbying the federal government in the first quarter of 2008, according to a government disclosure form.

The dietary supplement maker lobbied on legislation proposed by Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., designed to ensure the safety of food and drugs imported to the U.S. The bill calls for food manufacturers to pay a $2,000 user fee for each manufacturing and storage facility in operation.

The bill would also give the Food and Drug Administration power to order a recall of food it deems unsafe. Currently, the agency negotiates with manufacturers over recalls.

Herbalife also lobbied on regulation of dietary supplements. The Food and Drug Administration provides limited oversight of the products, which generally bear the disclaimer: "these statements have not been evaluated by the FDA." However, under regulations announced last year, companies must begin testing all the ingredients in their supplements.

Los Angeles-based Herbalife disclosed its lobbying expenditures in a form filed April 18 with the Senate's public records office.