Here’s a fun fact: a large percentage of individuals right now no longer receive the recommended amount of nutrients from their food intake.1 Many are now relying on consuming vitamins and supplements to maintain and improve their health. Given this knowledge, it is the primary responsibility of every manufacturer to make sure that the products that they are selling are safe and have followed the FDA Guidelines.
Sadly, despite the many efforts of our authorities, there are still drugs that are made available around the country that never received the required FDA approval – which makes them very risky to those health professionals and patients who are unaware of this.2 This is the reason why it is very important to be critical with your purchases, much more if you are planning to start your own business and join the health supplement industry.
What do you have to know about dietary supplements?
For sure, this is not the first time that you’ve heard of dietary supplements. You may even have used them – or recommended some to your friends and family members. These products are known to contain ingredients that could include vitamins, minerals, enzymes, herbs, amino acids, botanicals, and many helpful ingredients that may potentially help sustain the needs of the body.
These dietary supplements often take the form of capsules, tablets, liquids, powders, soft gels, and energy bars, to name a few. But while FDA approved vitamins are not really necessary, note that some of these supplements may contain ingredients that can bring strong biological effects to the body which in turn can come in conflict with medicines being maintained, or worse, complicate health.3
This is the reason why as sellers, it is very important to properly label your products – and honestly inform and remind your consumers to talk to their healthcare providers first. This does not only keep them safe but also builds trust among your consumers and keeps the integrity of your brand.
So, what does the FDA do to help consumers?
Because health supplements are considered more like ‘special foods’, these are not as strictly regulated as all prescription and non-prescription drugs. Nonetheless, when manufacturers decide to add new ingredients to their supplement formula, it’s their responsibility to notify the FDA regarding the additional ingredient before they begin the marketing procedures. This will then be reviewed by the FDA for safety.
In addition to this, the FDA requires manufacturing companies to follow the GMPs (or Good Manufacturing Practices) to ensure the safety of their products. With this, all manufacturing procedures – from ingredients to packaging and overall preparation – will be evaluated. Products that do not meet the minimum required standards are then seized and removed or considered dangerous.
Where to get FDA-approved vitamins and supplements?
With so many manufacturing companies offering full services – from formula creation to packaging – it can become tricky to find supplements that adhere to FDA standards given that manufacturers and distributors are the ones primarily held responsible for making sure that their products are safe before they go to the market.
But worry no more because we, at The Omnium Group, have made it our mission to manufacture products that are unparalleled in quality. We have FDA-registered facilities and high-speed equipment and technology that allows us to safely handle all of our products – from dietary supplements to beverages, cosmetics, HPP cold-pressed beverages, hemp-derived products, nutraceuticals, and many more. We have exceeded the guidelines for Good Manufacturing Practices and our team of experts is always dedicated to bring your vision of creating quality supplements to life.
Let’s discuss how we can collaborate to make the specific formula for your health supplements? We would be happy to assist you in building your brand – from formulation to packaging and design. Visit us now.
References:
1 Walrand S. Dietary supplement intake among the elderly: hazards and benefits. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2018 Nov;21(6):465-470. DOI: 10.1097/MCO.0000000000000512. PMID: 30239340.
2 Unapproved Drugs (https://www.fda.gov/drugs/enforcement-activities-fda/unapproved-drugs)
3 What You Need to Know about Dietary Products (https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/what-you-need-know-about-dietary-supplements)
4 Question and Answers on Dietary Supplements (https://www.fda.gov/food/information-consumers-using-dietary-supplements/questions-and-answers-dietary-supplements#:~:text=Manufacturers%20and%20distributors%20do%20not,dietary%20supplement%20products%20they%20sell.)