Diet supplement labels called misleading

WASHINGTON, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- A consumer advocacy group charged Friday that a new certification mark intended to verify the purity of dietary supplements might mislead consumers into thinking the products have been shown to be safe and effective.

The group, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said the certification mark should be redesigned to make it clear that it is certifying the purity of the product and not its health benefit.

The mark, administered by the non-profit organization U.S. Pharmacopeia, certifies that a supplement contains the ingredients in the amount or strength declared on the product label, is free of contaminants and has been manufactured following rigid standards.

The certification mark will appear on product labeling and is necessary because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not regulate the contents of dietary supplements -- which includes vitamins, minerals and herbal products.

"We think the mark they have designed is too vague and may mislead consumers," CSPI senior nutritionist David Schardt told United Press International.

The mark states, "Dietary Supplement Verified USP," with a tagline that reads: "USP has tested and verified the ingredients, product and manufacturing process. USP sets official standards for dietary supplements."

However, Schardt said, the mark is "ambiguous" and "consumers may misinterpret it and assume that the product does what the label claims it does. Given that there are questions about whether some supplements are safe or not or really work or not and questions about quality ... we think it is essential that USP be unequivocal about what its mark means."

As an example, Schardt cited the case of ginseng. Although this herb is promoted as enhancing energy, no study has ever shown that to be true, he said.

He added that he is concerned the mark could imply to consumers that USP is not just certifying the purity of the product but is also attesting ginseng has been proven to improve energy levels.

It is disconcerting that USP "has not tested the mark and its tagline on consumers to see if they understand what it means," he said.

"We hope USP will go back to the drawing board and devise a certification mark that consumers can clearly understand."

Sherrie Borden, director of communications at USP, said: "We've done extensive market research with consumers" and they understand the language on the mark and do not misinterpret it.

Schardt suggested including the phrase "benefits and safety not evaluated" to make the meaning of the mark clearer.

But Borden said the benefit of vitamins and minerals has been demonstrated clearly, so Schardt's suggested phrase would not be true for these products and would serve only to confuse consumers.

She noted that in the future, USP "may want to change the tagline ... but at this point that's not something we're doing."

In order to receive the mark, Borden said, manufacturers must undergo a rigorous review of their manufacturing practices and the purity of their product that can take four to seven months. USP charges a fee for the review that can be in the range of several thousand dollars, she said.

When a company receives the mark, USP will continue to do random sampling of products to ensure that they consistently meet purity standards, Borden said. The certification mark only lasts for one year. After that, manufacturers must apply for renewal and pay additional fees.

The first product to carry the mark will be Naturemade's vitamin E supplement. Bottles carrying the mark should be on shelves by the end of November, she said, adding that the supplement industry has been largely accepting of the mark and several other companies are requesting reviews of their products.

USP will announce another product that has been approved to receive the mark next week.