Q:  Who validates claims and what kinds of claims can be made on dietary supplement labels?


 A:

FDA receives many consumer inquiries about the validity of claims for dietary supplements, including product labels, advertisements, media, and printed materials. The responsibility for ensuring the validity of these claims rests with the manufacturer, FDA, and, in the case of advertising, with the Federal Trade Commission.

By law, manufacturers may make three types of claims for their dietary supplement products: health claims, structure/function claims, and nutrient content claims. Some of these claims describe: the link between a food substance and disease or a health-related condition; the intended benefits of using the product; or the amount of a nutrient or dietary substance in a product. Different requirements generally apply to each type of claim, and are described in more detail at the following site: (http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/hclaims.html).

 

Source: Excerpted from Overview of Dietary Supplements January 2001

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