T96-01 Brad Stone January 2, 1996 (202) 205-4144 FDA PUBLISHES DIETARY SUPPLEMENT RULES FDA has proposed standards for nutritional labeling formats and terms that would apply to dietary supplement products. These proposed standards implement some major provisions of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, which covers regulation of these products. This Act requires FDA to develop labeling requirements specifically designed for dietary supplement products -- products containing ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, herbs or amino acids intended to supplement the diet. FDA is proposing that the labeling follow the same basic format as that used on processed food labels. The "Supplement Facts" panel that would be on dietary supplement labels, like the "Nutrition Facts" panel now on food labels, would provide nutrition information about certain vitamins and minerals as well as information about the level of other dietary ingredients. The proposal would also provide for some differences: For example, dietary supplement labels could list non-essential dietary ingredients, such as herbs, on their labels and could also use smaller type sizes in some instances. -more- Page 2, T96-01, Dietary Supplements Another proposal would set definitions for the terms "antioxidant" and "high potency" on dietary supplement labeling. In addition, FDA has published a final rule establishing Reference Daily Intakes (RDIs) for vitamin K, selenium, manganese, chromium, molybdenum and chloride. RDIs are reference values developed to help consumers gauge the relative amounts of certain essential nutrients in a product. This rule will become effective immediately. The proposed rules dealing with food labeling formats and definitions will undergo a 90 day public comment period. Written comments on these proposals may be submitted to: FDA Dockets Management Branch (HFA-305) 12420 Parklawn Drive Rockville, MD 20857-0001 Under the Act, labeling rules for dietary supplements must be finalized and in effect by Jan. 1, 1997. ####
This is a mirror of the page at http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/ANS00702.html
This document was issued on January 2, 1996.
For more recent information on Dietary Supplements
See
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/supplmnt.html