Many people automatically default to assuming if it has an “FDA” or “GMP” certification on the label then it is of high quality.
Unfortunately, just because it has those certifications, does NOT mean the supplement is of high quality, or even beneficial for your body.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
As the FDA website shares, the FDA is not authorized to review dietary supplement products for safety and effectiveness before they are marketed.
In 1994, the FDA created the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, which set the onus of safety and effectiveness on the manufacturers and distributors.
The US Department of Health and Services shares that the FDA will regulate what and how statements are made on supplement labels, to discourage supplement companies from making untrue claims about their products.
But this governance does not guarantee that the product is actually effective or safe.
Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)
Let’s examine GMP labels as well. GMPs are a set of guidelines intended to ensure that products are consistently produced and controlled according to quality standards. This also does not indicate that the ingredients are effective or safe. There are many manufacturers with GMP certified facilities producing synthetic products with toxic additives and fillers.
Basically:
- The FDA provides safety and quality checks for pharmaceuticals.
- GMP for supplements ensures that best practices for manufacturing processes, procedures and documentation are maintained, but does not indicate that the actual ingredients of the product are safe or effective.
Buyer Beware
As a consumer in the vitamin and supplement industry, you must do your due diligence to make sure whatever brand you are looking at, that:
- Their ingredients are of high quality.
- Their sources are great.
- What they are putting in their supplements are real.
So, you might wonder, why should you trust a brand like Tennant Products or other high quality brands out there?
When a statement or claim is made about nutrition supplements or health, it’s on the manufacturer to provide proof or verification. That’s why at Tennant Products, we share so much information about our products and our ingredients. Every single ingredient we include in our products, like Restore, has been rigorously studied and most have significant clinical studies on the individual ingredients.
In the end, it’s the consumer’s decision. Make sure to do your research!
