Different types of standards

Many different types of standards apply to the evaluation, production, testing, and monitoring of dietary supplements. Below is a summary of the different types that exist and some examples of each:

Type of Standard	Description	Examples
terminology	definition of dietary supplement names used on product labels.	Herbs of Commerce
potency	active ingredients or marker compounds and ratios thereof that make up a particular type of dietary supplement	USP
dissolution rates	the rate that a substance dissolves, and thus is available for absorption in the blood stream	USP
test methods	methods considered valid for testing products for ingredients, potency, and purity	INA MVP
health benefit claims	criteria for statements made about a product's capacity to provide a particular health benefit	FDA and FTC regulations
manufacturing standards	manufacturing practices used to ensure purity and reliability	NNFA GMP FDA GMP HACCP Botanical Safety Handbook
dosage recommendations	the amount of a nutrient recommended for daily consumption	RDA U.S. RDA RDI DV
allowable dosage variances	the degree to which a product's potency may differ from labeled amounts	USP
labeling requirements	includes many of the above measures plus things like expiration date and lot numbers	FDA and FTC regulations NNFA GMP FDA GMP
policies and programs established by trade associations, publishers, and trade show sponsors	requires a variety of procedures, such as product registration and testing	NNFA TruLabel ComPLI Natural Foods Expo
adverse event or consumer complaint reporting systems	policies and procedures for reporting consumer complaints	AHPA chaparral AER FDA SN/AEMS

Developing any one of these types of standards presents challenges. Practices vary widely throughout the industry. Different types of dietary supplements and different types of manufacturing operations call for different manufacturing standards.

Efforts are further complicated by the fact that the dietary supplements industry is evolving rapidly, so that standards developed today may soon become obsolete. Also, it is difficult to establish a standard in some areas because too little is known to form an accurate one. In botanicals especially, we are only beginning to learn which parts of a plant provide the most benefit. Despite these difficulties, many attempts have been made to implement standards with some recent notable successes.



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