The top 5 supplement label errors:

We check about 15 labels every week, and it’s often the same points that brands get wrong. Here are my top 5 most commonly seen errors in supplement labels for the UK:

#1: The UK doesn’t use American rules:

First thing- you’re (probably) not in America. That means that your supplement needs to say “Food Supplement” clearly on the front of the label. It should not say “Dietary Supplement”. You don’t need a warning that statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, and that it won’t cure any diseases. In the UK and Europe we use the approved health claim system - health claims which are approved actually have been evaluated by EFSA, so as long as you stick to approved claims you don’t need to say anything about them not being evaluated by government. Finally, the panel giving RI%s does not need to be labelled “Supplement Facts”, as they do in the USA. The exact name of the information panel actually is not specified in UK rules, it just needs a clear and informative title if you wish to give it one.

#2: You need the ingredients listed in descending order:

You are required to have a single list, giving all the ingredients, in descending order by total included weight. That includes all the ingredients- the most commonly forgotten ingredient is the capsule shell, which typically weighs 100-120mg. Your manufacturer should be able to give you the exact weight. The capsule shell needs to be listed as “Capsule Shell (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose)” or Capsule Shell (hypromellose)”. You cannot abbreviate it to HPMC. In general acronyms on labels should be avoided. Minerals such as magnesium must be listed based on the total amount included in the product, not just by the label claim amount. For example 10mg of Magnesium from Magnesium Bisglycinate would actually have been included at 100mg, so should be listed before another ingredient included at 90mg.

#3: Include the RI%, but only when there is enough in :

Most vitamins and minerals have a set RI% in the UK. RI stands for Reference Intake. You will see lots of brands call this “NRV%” instead. This is technically incorrect, as the NRV% can vary by age and sex, so what you’re actually listing is the RI%. However as NRV% was considered correct for years, we typically don’t see customers getting into hot water o chose to call it the NRV%. You are required to list the RI% for all ingredients that have them, the only exception being when the product contains less than 9% of the RI%. When the product contains less than 9% it is no longer considered a meaningful source of that nutrient, and thus should not list the RI% at all, nor can health claims associated with that ingredient be used.

#4: Stop making health claims:

A health claim is any statement, image, brand name, product name or implication that suggests an ingredient has a benefit for health, body function, disease-risk reduction, wellbeing, or normal physiological function. You can only make health claims when they are valid, approved, and you’ve got enough of the ingredient in the product. This is much broader than most customers seem to think. For example, a little thumbnail picture of a heart on the front of your label implies the product has some interaction with the heart- and that right away would constitute a health claim. Maybe you want to call your brand “Spots Away” - well we certainly wouldn’t advise it as that would be a health claim. The full list of approved claims you can actually use can be found here, or the well known AI tools can probably help you by listing them for you. The health claim cannot change the meaning of the claim. You don’t have to stick to the exact wording of the claim, but you do need to keep the meaning intact. So “Vitamin C contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.” could not be shorted to “Vitamin C boosts your energy” because that would be a change of meaning.

#5: Get the allergens and warnings right:

If you are going to claim that your product contains no allergens, you are putting yourself and customers at risk unless you’ve actively tested for allergens. Cross contamination can and does happen, and a very small amount of gluten for example is a much bigger problem if your product claimed to be “gluten free”. As a general rule, claiming the absence of allergens should be avoided. If there are no allergens in the product, the best thing to do is just don’t mention allergens. Some manufacturers with lower standards may require a cross contamination style “made in a facility that handles allergens x,y,z” type warning. Higher standard manufacturers would typically not require this kind of warning on the label. When an allergen is present, it should be highlighted in bold on the label, and a warning “For allergens, see ingredients in bold.” should be included on the label. Getting allergen labelling wrong is dangerous, and this casual guide is not a comprehensive source of data on the issue. Customers are advised to take the issue seriously, do your research, and speak to our expert staff to make sure the issue is handled with due care and attention.