Guidelines Regarding the Recommendation and Sale of Dietary Supplements

These guidelines are currently being reviewed and will remain in effect until new guidance is published in 2020. They should be considered as recommendations for best practice and are not enforceable except in regards to the Academy/CDR Code of Ethics for the Nutrition and Dietetics Profession. Individual practitioners are advised to review the Code of Ethics, as well as consult experts in their area regarding the legal and regulatory issues specific to their location of practice. A list of resources relating to dietary supplements are included below.

• Download "Guidelines Regarding the Recommendation and Sale of Dietary Supplements" as a PDF

Academy Resources:

• Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Micronutrient Supplementation
  • Includes a Figure with select evidence-based resources for information related to dietary supplements.
• Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
  • Scope and Standards for the RDNs and NDTRs Collection
  • Quality Certification Programs for Dietary Supplements
  • A Free New Dietary Supplement Label Database for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists
• eatrightPRO, News Center: Foods and Supplements
  • Sorting Out the Conflicting and Confusing Information Concerning Dietary Supplements
• eatrightSTORE, CPE Opportunities:
  • Certificates of Training: Integrative and Functional Nutrition - Module 5: Dietary Supplements: A Risk Management Framework for Practitioner and Client Decision Making
  • FNCE® Sessions
  • Online Courses: Obesity Interventions for Adults: Dietary Supplements in Overweight and Obesity
• Sports Nutrition Care Manual (subscription required)
  • Dietary Supplement Evaluation

Commission on Dietetic Registration CPE Database

Related Resources*

• Federal Trade Commission report: Dietary Supplements: An Advertising Guide for Industry
• National Sanitation Foundation International
• National Institutes of Health: 
  • Dietary Supplement Label Database
  • Office of Dietary Supplements
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, Nutrition.gov: Dietary Supplements
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Dietary Supplements
  • How to Report a Problem with Dietary Supplements
  • Questions and Answers on Dietary Supplements
  • Dietary Supplement Ingredient Advisory List
• The Department of Defense Dietary Supplement Resource: Operation Supplement Safety
• The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency: Supplement 411
• United States Pharmacopoeia (USP)

*NOTE: This list is not inclusive. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has not participated in the development of the sites listed, does not exert any editorial or other control over the sites, content, and does not endorse any product or services.