4 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT: Age Restrictions on Dietary Supplements

Misguided efforts to put age restrictions on some people equals limited access for everyone


NEW IN 2023: Hear from Susan Hewlings, R.D., Ph.D., on her findings in the Nutrients review, “Eating Disorders and Dietary Supplements: A Review of the Science 


1. Dietary supplements have extraordinarily strong safety profiles.
2. Age restrictions harm local retailers. 
3. Age restrictions on supplements mean reduced access for everyone.
4. Age restrictions are ineffective because they can’t be enforced."Dietary supplements are regulated as a category of food by FDA because they contain many of the same ingredients that are found in nutritious foods—vitamins, minerals, botanicals, protein, amino acids and other substances that supplement the diet. Supplement marketers are required to report serious adverse events to FDA, and their manufacturing is subject to strict controls and inspection. Age restrictions on supplements make about as much sense as age restrictions on food," CRN President & CEO Steve Mister explains in the video.


“Every company in the supplement industry should be concerned. This misguided effort to put age restrictions on some people equals limited access for everyone. What starts as a defined category of restricted products quickly extends to other supplements. ”

—President & CEO Steve Mister, Nutrition Industry Executive