Supplement Regulation and the ‘Natural’ Label: What It Means, What It Doesn’t, and How to Navigate Claims
In the United States, dietary supplements operate under a fundamentally different regulatory framework than pharmaceuticals: the FDA does not require pre-market approval for safety or efficacy, and manufacturers bear primary responsibility for ensuring their products are safe before sale. This paradigm, established by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, creates a market where terms like “natural” carry no legal definition and function largely as marketing language rather than regulated claims. For clinicians counseling patients, researchers evaluating interventions, and policymakers considering reform, this…

