Nutrient content statements describe the level of a nutrient in the product with words such as free, high, low, more, reduced, or light.
Dietary supplements
can use percentage levels to refer to ingredients with no daily value (DV), which is not allowed in food products. These supplements are intended to add to or supplement the diet and are distinct from conventional foods. To the extent that a product is meant to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent diseases, it is classified as a drug, even if it is labeled as a dietary supplement.Supplements come in many forms, such as tablets, capsules, softgels, powders, sticks, gummies, and liquids.Nutrition information panels and information on dietary supplements are mandatory on most food products and supplements. Most packaged foods contain a nutrition label with all the information about the product to help you make informed choices. There are several important differences between the nutrition facts panel that appears on a drink and the supplement information panel that appears on a supplement. Some dietary supplements can help you get adequate amounts of essential nutrients if you don't eat a variety of nutritious foods. The FDA is the federal agency that oversees both supplements and drugs, but the FDA regulations for dietary supplements are different from those for prescription or over-the-counter drugs.
Nutrition facts labels and supplement information labels can look very similar because they both require the same type of information about nutrients, such as calories, sugars, carbohydrates, fats, proteins and more. Statements about the structure and function of beverages should be limited to statements about taste, aroma, or nutritional value. It's not easy to walk the aisles of grocery stores or pharmacies to ensure that you and your family get the most nutritional benefit for your money. An important difference between supplements and beverages comes into play when analyzing statements about structure and function. If a product is classified as a supplement, an information panel will appear about the supplement that looks similar but differs in several ways in terms of what can be listed and how it appears on the label.
Products classified as beverages will have a nutrition information panel (NFP) that contains the nutritional information of the product and is mandatory in most packaged foods in many countries. A nutrition label requires that all ingredients appear on the label in order of volume in the product. You're more likely to have side effects from dietary supplements if you take them in high doses or instead of prescription drugs, or if you take many different supplements.
