What to review in a U.S. Supplement Facts panel

Core panel elements

1. Serving information: review serving size and servings per container when required.
2. Dietary ingredient identity: use the applicable name for each declared dietary ingredient and identify source ingredients where the rule requires them.
3. Amount per serving: state the quantitative amount using the applicable unit and serving basis.
4. Percent Daily Value: declare the percentage when a Daily Value is established; use the required symbol and footnote when one is not established.
5. Order and grouping: check the required sequence, indentation, grouping, and treatment of proprietary blends.
6. Panel format: verify headings, type, rules, spacing, and any permitted small-package or simplified format against the current regulation.

Information outside the panel

Ingredients that are not dietary ingredients declared in Supplement Facts generally belong in a separate ingredient statement. The statement of identity, net quantity, business name and address, claims, disclaimers, and warnings also require their own review. A correct-looking Supplement Facts box does not establish that the complete label is compliant.

Common review questions

• Does the serving basis match the directions and the amount actually consumed?
• Are nutrients, botanicals, amino acids, and other dietary ingredients named and quantified under the applicable rule?
• Were rounding, units, Daily Values, and zero-value declarations checked rather than copied from a supplier sheet?
• Are blends and their component ingredients handled without implying undisclosed amounts?
• Was the final artwork reviewed at its actual printed size?

Worked review example

Fictional example: a capsule label directs adults to take two capsules daily, but the draft Supplement Facts panel uses one capsule as the serving and the formulation worksheet records amounts for two capsules. Do not repair only the serving-size line. First identify the intended serving, reconcile every declared amount and Daily Value to that basis, confirm servings per container, then compare the corrected panel with the directions and package count. If the formulation record remains ambiguous, the review stays unresolved.

The useful output is a versioned correction record: the conflicting evidence, the selected serving basis and its support, every recalculated row, the revised artwork, and the final-size proof. This example illustrates the review process and is not a compliant panel template.

Official starting points

• 21 CFR 101.36 — Nutrition labeling of dietary supplements
• FDA Dietary Supplement Labeling Guide

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