Quality is Not Guaranteed: There are 80,000+ vitamins and dietary supplements on the market, which can vary widely in terms of quality. Since 1994, dietary supplements have been explicitly regulated as a category of foods. This means that dietary supplements do not require FDA approval before they are sold to the public.
Many different suppliers and manufacturers play a role in the production and distribution of dietary supplements, which can make them vulnerable to quality issues. Additionally, changes in the market can cause shortages and consequential surges in production. Surges can cause manufacturers to need to quickly source materials from new suppliers, leaving room for errors and creating the opportunity for “bad actors” to enter the marketplace.
Third-party verification can help combat these issues.
For example, a study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found
the amount of actual melatonin in 71% of melatonin supplements is off by a 10-percent margin,
meaning most melatonin supplements do not contain melatonin in the amount reflected on the label. Additionally, the study found the amount of melatonin within pills in a single jar can vary by 465% .
Many supplement companies have excellent quality management systems, but some do not. A growing number of reports and recalls have raised concerns about inconsistent quality in the dietary supplement industry.
In the past, the FDA warned consumers not to use a product marketed as a dietary supplement for male sexual enhancement that
contained active pharmaceutical ingredients not listed on their labels,
which could cause serious health risks and interact with other medications being taken by the consumer.
With more than 200 years of experience helping to ensure medicine quality, the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is uniquely positioned to verify dietary supplements.
Manufacturers can voluntarily participate in USP’s Dietary Supplement Verification Program to help ensure the quality of their products. Supplements that go through the program are verified through a rigorous and comprehensive testing and evaluation process. Additionally, USP conducts annual surveillance where products are pulled off store shelves and tested to help ensure they continue to meet quality standards.
