Silver Spring, MD—The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has revised its free labeling guidance for herbal dietary supplements to cover updated labeling requirements,according to a press release.The revisions are intended to reflect changes in science and dietary habits that have occurred since nutrition labeling regulations were first established in 1999. For manufacturers with $10 million or more in annual sales, the requirements are set to take effect January 1, 2020; for smaller manufacturers, they’ll take effect January 1, 2021.

Major changes, the press release says, include revisions to what must be declared on the label. Vitamin D, potassium, and added sugars are now “mandatory nutrients” required to be declared when present at significant amounts, while vitamins A and C are no longer “mandatory nutrients.” Manufacturers must keep tract of added sugars vs. naturally occurring sugars. Folic acid must now be distinguished from naturally occurring folate.

Reference values used to calculate the percent Daily Value (DV) for declaration were updated for most dietary ingredients with established DVs. Units of measure were changed for several ingredients, including folate and vitamins A, D, and E.
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AHPA president Michael McGuffin said in the release: “For dietary supplements, the revisions mostly affect products that provide significant levels of dietary ingredients with Reference Daily Intake values or Daily Reference Values, such as vitamins, or macronutrients such as fat, sugars, and cholesterol. Since herbal supplements often do not provide significant amounts of these, many products may not see many changes in nutrition labeling compared to the old regulations. However, herbal supplement manufacturers should be aware of coming changes and ensure that their products’ Supplement Facts boxes are compliant.”