Regulatory resources for claims and labels

Sometimes I daydream about becoming a librarian.  In the meantime, I like to track and organize all the relevant resources online.  Below are some of the regulatory resources that I recommend most often for my work with herbal product companies.

Understanding product claims

FDA’s introduction to food and supplement claims
An overview of the different types of claims for foods and dietary supplements.

FDA’s dietary supplement final rule on supplement structure-function claims
A very long and rather complicated document, but valuable for the structure-function claims that FDA has said are acceptable.

A guide to Claim Statements for Natural Products
Written for companies outside the US, but one of the most helpful overviews of different types of products and the claims that are allowed.

FDA’s warning letter database
Want to know what claims FDA is objecting to lately? Go straight to the source in the warning letter database. Type in a keyword or a plant name and see what has shown up in recent letters.

Labeling guides

FDA’s Food Labeling Guide
A user-friendly overview of all the label requirements for food products. Given that dietary supplements are regulated as a subset of foods, much of the basic information also applies to supplements.

FDA’s Dietary Supplement Labeling Guide
All the label details for dietary supplement products with lots of FAQs.

AHPA’s Dietary Supplement Labeling Guide
A great guide from the American Herbal Products Association that covers label issues and guidance for herbal dietary supplements.