The United States Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, is responsible for overseeing the safety of all food and drugs produced and sold in the United States. As part of its administration, the FDA regulates the dietary supplement industry, though not in the same way it regulates drugs. A dietary supplement is considered a food by the FDA, and many dietary supplements are composed of natural ingredients.
Dietary Supplement
The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act was passed into law in 1994. This law states that a dietary supplement is a product the consumer ingests orally that contains dietary ingredients. According to the law, manufacturers have a duty to ensure that all dietary supplements contain only dietary ingredients before introducing the product. The FDA plays no role in approving dietary supplements, though it can recall dietary supplements that it has investigated and determined to be unsafe.
Natural Ingredients
Dietary supplements can only contain "dietary ingredients," many of which can be considered natural. The law defines a dietary ingredient as any combination of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, tissues, concentrates or herbs or other botanicals. A botanical, for example, is any plant or plant product that is not a drug or controlled substance. Most dietary supplements contain at least some ingredients that come from natural sources, such as plants, herbs or animal products.
Food vs. Dietary Supplement
According to the FDA, any product that does not contain added colors, artificial flavors or synthetic substances can be labeled "natural." A manufacturer has a duty to ensure that its advertising or marketing does not mislead a consumer, and the FDA may take action against the manufacturer for making false claims about its products.
Warning
Because the FDA does not regulate the dietary supplement industry, each manufacturer is responsible for ensuring that the product it sells is fit for human consumption. The FDA can only recall the product if later finds that the product is unsafe, or that the advertising proclaiming it as natural turns out to be untruthful or unfair. For this reason, consumers should exercise caution whenever buying dietary supplements.
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