Time for Change: Stepping Up the FDA's Regulation of Dietary Supplements to Promote Consumer Safety and Awareness

People are often looking for that quick fix when it comes to their health. With dietary supplements so readily available on the market, the public assume that they have been through rigorous testing. Dietary supplements are not tested as much as consumers believe. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not initiate the same type of testing and analysis for supplements as it does for food, drink and medication. Given that people are now choosing supplemental meal replacements and the like, as opposed to whole foods, regulations drastically need to be stepped up in an effort to emphasise public safety. An authoritative body needs to stop manufacturers from taking advantage of an already vulnerable marketplace. I suggest a new form of regulation that takes the pressure away from the FDA and into the hands of someone who wholly focuses on the supplement market. Dietary supplements have revolutionised the "health" world; however, the only way that the market can keep growing is through enacting more stringent rules and regulations—at the same time allowing consumers to maintain their autonomy and freedom when purchasing.