How to read a supplement label

A supplement label contains everything you need to compare two products. The difficulty is that parts of it read differently than you would expect.

Ingredients are listed by weight

The list runs from most to least. The first ingredient is the one with the greatest mass in the product; the last has the smallest.

That means an ingredient near the end is present in a smaller amount than every ingredient above it. If the marketing leans on something listed second to last, it is worth checking how much of it is actually there.

The dose refers to the whole daily serving

The amounts table is almost always “per recommended daily intake”, not “per capsule”. If the intake is 3 capsules, the 600 mg printed on the label is spread across all three — 200 mg per capsule.

So two numbers have to be read together:

• the recommended daily intake, expressed as a number of capsules
• the amount of the ingredient for that intake

A product with 600 mg in 3 capsules and one with 600 mg in 1 capsule deliver the same amount per day. 600 mg in 3 capsules against 600 mg in 6 capsules do not.

Proprietary blends

“Proprietary blend 850 mg”, followed by a list of ingredients with no individual amounts, is a lawful way to declare a formula — but it hides exactly what you need. You know the total weight of the blend and nothing about how it is divided.

With such a label, comparison against another product is impossible. Not because the blend is bad, but because the data is not there.

Mandatory declarations

Under EU and Bulgarian law, the packaging must carry:

• the words “food supplement”
• the recommended daily dose and a warning not to exceed it
• a statement that supplements do not replace a varied diet
• a warning to keep out of the reach of children
• batch number and best-before date
• details of the manufacturer or importer

For supplements placed on the Bulgarian market, the manufacturer notifies the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) and the product receives a registration number, which can be checked in the agency's public register.

What a label does not say

A label describes composition. It does not — and legally cannot — carry claims that the product treats, prevents or alleviates disease. Food supplements complement a normal diet; they do not replace it.