January 16, 2024
On January 11, 2024, the GAO released a report titled “Prenatal Supplements: Amounts of Some Key Nutrients Differed from Product Labels.” The report details that a laboratory, contracted by GAO, analyzed 12 prenatal supplements for specific nutrient levels. The investigation asserts that 11 out of 12 supplements deviated from their labeled amounts for at least one nutrient (folic acid, iodine, iron, vitamin A, C, or E), potentially leading to overconsumption or under consumption of the labeled nutrients.
The GAO report does not disclose how the products were tested or which third-party testing lab performed the study. This information is critical to better understand and appropriately respond to the report’s findings and CRN is attempting to get this information from GAO.
"This report strikes an unnecessarily alarmist note when the vast majority of prenatal supplements are not only safe, but vital to the health of mothers and their babies," said CRN SVP of Scientific & Regulatory Affairs Andrea Wong, Ph.D.