Dietary Supplements or Nutraceuticals?

It seems the meaning of “Dietary Supplements” and “Nutraceuticals” terms overlap, although both have their own roles.

Dietary Supplement products are intended to supplement the diet which typically contains isolated vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids, etc. Dietary Supplements come in many forms and can include tablets, capsules, powders, herbal extracts, gummies, probiotics, energy bars and more!

As defined in the Dietary Supplement Health & Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), a dietary supplement is:

“a product (other than tobacco) that is intended to supplement the diet, which contains one or more of the following dietary ingredients—a vitamin, a mineral, an herb or other botanical, an amino acid, a dietary substance to supplement the diet by increasing the total daily intake, or a concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract, or combinations of these ingredients; is ingested in pill, capsule, tablet, or liquid form; is not represented for use as a conventional food or as the sole item of a meal or diet; and is labeled as a ‘dietary supplement.’”

Nutraceuticals fall somewhere between food and pharmaceuticals. The term “nutraceutical” was originated from “nutrition” and “pharmaceutical” by Stephen DeFilice in 1989. Originating from nature, nutraceuticals are either a single or a group of biological molecules found in plants/animals we already eat, not isolated but in concentrated form. For example, nutraceutical spinach capsules include the concentrated plant rather than isolating certain spinach properties.

The two terms are very similar; however, nutraceutical’s purpose is to support human health beyond just supplementing certain aspects of health like dietary supplements offer. On the plus side, no doctor is needed for either dietary supplements and nutraceuticals and can be purchased without a prescription. What does this mean to the cannabis industry? It depends on the product contents, how you want to identify your products, and how the FDA allows cannabis products to be marketed. Remember to not label your product as a “dietary supplement or nutraceutical,” until the FDA has provided clear guidance. We see the grey area and how these two products may blend together, to ease confusion feel free to reach out to Allay Consulting for your compliance needs.