Quality of Herbal and Dietary Supplements

U.S. Regulation of HDS Quality

In order to regulate the quality of herbal and dietary supplements, the US Food and Drug Administration created the "Good Manufacturing Practices" (GMP) rule for the dietary supplement industry. The rule ensures that dietary supplements are:

• produced in a quality manner,
• do not contain contaminants or impurities,
• are accurately labeled.

GMPs will do the following:

• ensure quality throughout the manufacturing, packing, labeling, and storing of dietary supplements,
• set in place quality control procedures and guidelines for testing ingredients and the finished product,
• require recordkeeping and handling of consumer product complaints.

The US Food and Drug Administration has a website that explicitly lists the provisions of the CGMP Final Rule. Please click here to find out more about good manufacturing processes.

In Canada, dietary supplements are regulated by the government via the "Natural Health Products Regulations" to ensure the safety and efficacy of these products. All dietary supplement products on the market in Canada are approved by a governmental process. Please click here to find out more about “Natural Health Products Regulations” and see a list of products approved in Canada.

Indeed, it can be difficult for patients to buy quality herbal and dietary supplements.

Please play the slide presentation below to learn how to advise patients about quality products.

How do patients find quality herb and dietary supplement products?

Click here to open and play the presentation. This will open a new browser window.