Have you ever looked at a supplement label and felt like you are reading a foreign language? We have all been there and its okay! Supplement labels can be confusing but we want to make it easy for you.
Every label on a supplement bucket will give you a list of ingredients. Those ingredients will be listed with either a minimum and maximum amounts or a guaranteed analysis.
So what is the difference you ask?
Most labels will give you minimum and maximum percentages of the ingredients. This means that each batch that is made up can have a variation between that minimum and maximum amounts. As long as the product stays within the set amounts then it passed quality control. If you look at these set values you can see that in some products there can be quite a bit of variance between batches.
A Guaranteed Analysis on a label means that the product has been tested through the whole manufacturing process from beginning, middle and end to make sure that each serving has the correct labeled amount. For a supplement to pass quality control the testing has to be above 97% accuracy.
We are all about quality here at Precision Joint Solution which is why we have a guaranteed analysis of ingredients on our product. There is no min and max to guess between. We test our product at the beginning, middle and end to ensure it has the exact same each amounts in each serving.
Below is a breakdown and description of each part of a supplement or feed label:
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Percentage (%) of Daily Value: The “Daily Value,” or DV, was created by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for labels on foods and supplements, and implemented in 1994. It is based on two sets of references: Daily Reference Values, or DRVs, and Reference Daily Intakes, or RDIs.
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Serving Size: This indicates how many of the units – tablets, soft-gels, capsules, etc. – need to be consumed in a day to reach the percent of daily value listed on the label.
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Units of measure: reflect the standard reference units for each kind of nutrient.
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Other ingredients: This is a list of compounds that do not directly contribute to the nutrient DVs in the supplement, but instead aid in functions such as tablet integrity, proper digestion or preservation of shelf life.
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EXP indicates the expiration date; that is, the date by which the supplements in the bottle will have degraded to the point that the percent of DV listed on the label is no longer accurate.
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LOT is a number that identifies the specific manufacturing lot that included this particular item.
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Directions provides information to help the consumer safely obtain maximum value from the product.
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Note serves to warn consumers of potential adverse effects the supplement could present to individuals. This section also contains information regarding how to store the supplements.
- Manufacturer’s information tells which company made the supplement, and where the company has its headquarters.
So the next time you’re in your feed room, take a closer look at your labels and see what’s really in your bag.