Health food supplements from other countries must be investigated by Customs and the FDA before being sold within the United States.
Health food supplements offer consumers a chance to intake vitamins or minerals they might not normally consume through food. This is especially important for any consumer who has a vitamin or mineral deficiency. However, these supplements must pass strict regulations by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Any supplement made within the US fall under these regulations, but imported health food supplements face a higher scrutiny level. Aspects such as labeling and custom checking are enforced against health food supplements manufactured and sold from other nations.
Instructions
1. Contact the manufacturer directly. It is best to contact the manufacturer directly concerning the import of the dietary supplement. Also, you will need to ask the manufacturer certain questions that will help with the import process.
2. Make sure the supplement meets the FDA definition of a supplement. The FDA defines a supplement as a non-tobacco product that contains a vitamin, mineral or botanical. This is stated under Section 201 (ff) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
3. Ask for the supplement's label information. The FDA requires all domestic and foreign supplements to have a listing of all the vitamins and minerals it has. Each vitamin and mineral in the supplement must also have a percentage to it, indicating how much of your daily intake of the vitamin or mineral you are consuming.
4. Investigate if the manufacturer is listed on Bioterrorism Act. If a manufacturer is not listed on the Bioterrorism Act, then they cannot sell their products in the United States.
5. Ask the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) about the supplement. The APHIS bans all imported products that contain a risk of mad cow disease. Some non-vegan supplements may utilize animal products that are prone to mad cow disease infections.
6. Order your health food supplements. Once you find out if the supplement can clear FDA regulations, then there should be no problem purchasing the product through the vendor.
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