Know Before You Buy: Who Controls Supplement Quality?

When it comes to taking supplements, it’s important to be informed of who answers for their quality. While supplement manufacturers and retailers are responsible for providing quality products, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is ultimately the agency that has oversight of supplement products.

As far as supplement quality control goes, the FDA’s role is twofold. On one hand, the agency is responsible for ensuring that supplement labels truthfully represent what is in the supplement bottle. This means that supplement packaging must accurately disclose the ingredients and potential side effects or health risks associated with taking a product. In addition, supplement manufacturers must also comply with FDA regulations by producing high-quality products under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs).

The Standards Framework

GMPs are a set of standards created by the FDA that ensure all supplement ingredients meet certain quality requirements, such as purity and identity. GMPs also require supplement manufacturers to maintain complete records of all raw materials used in their production process, as well as the testing performed on finished products before they are released into the marketplace. All of these measures help to protect consumers from low-grade supplements that can contain impurities or even potentially harmful ingredients.

In addition to proving that they comply with GMPs, supplement companies must also register with the FDA before they can legally sell their products in the US market. This registration process requires companies to provide information about their facility, manufacturing methods and processes, product formulation and labeling details, as well as any third-party laboratories they use or have used to test supplement ingredients or finished formulations prior to sale. Once approved by the FDA, companies receive a registration number which allows them to begin marketing and selling their supplement products in the US.

While these safety measures are important for protecting consumers from low-grade or unsafe supplements, it’s still important for consumers to do their own due diligence before buying any supplement product. Doing so helps ensure that you’re getting exactly what you’re paying for. 

Here are a few ways to be proactive: 

–making sure there’s an ingredient list on the label

–looking at customer reviews

–checking out lab reports where available

–researching reviews from independent sources like Consumer Reports

–asking your healthcare provider if they have any recommendations

–investigating any manufacturer certifications, such as Good Manufacturing Practice certifications or organic certifications when applicable. 

Taking these steps can go a long way toward ensuring you get a quality product every time you buy a supplement.