Supplements ARE regulated

Not a day goes by where one of my customers tells me that they’ve recently read something or heard from someone that supplements are not regulated. Not only is this incorrect, but it is also potentially harmful to the millions of people who could benefit from taking natural supplements as opposed to the drugs that are killing us daily. Since 1994, when DSHEA was passed, Congress reaffirmed that dietary supplements should be regulated as a category of food. DSHEA is not the only law that regulates the nutritional supplement industry. The Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act has several provisions and amendments that apply to supplements. The recent Food Safety Modernization Act is another law that directly affects the industry. Even the Bio-terrorism Act of 2007 also has implications for dietary supplements. Within these very complex laws are a number of smaller, lesser-known regulations that multiple agencies have overlapping jurisdiction to enforce. When Congress passed the Bio-terrorism Act in 2007, it stipulated that every company that produces a food product must register their company. For companies that produce fish oil supplements, there is a whole host of additional regulations dealing specifically with seafood products. Make no mistake, when FDA performs a GMP inspection, the agency can nab anyone for any regulation it has been tasked with enforcing. So if you’ve been reluctant to try supplements because you’re concerned about there not being any regulation, then now is the time to start.