Whichever is the case, nutritional supplements are in a class of their own when it comes to successful products. As of now, estimates put sales of the nutritional supplement industry somewhere between $44-45 billion a year and growing. In addition, the industry is continuingly expanding mostly due to high demand among American users. Many believe because of this increasing demand, the nutritional supplement industry is entering a new level of consumption and popularity that it has never seen before.

As we look back at the induction of dietary supplements, also known as nutritional supplements, this progression points to one act that triggered the infusion of these products on the market today. Thanks to strong lobbying from supplement manufacturers to get supplements approved, the U.S. passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act on October 25, 1994. This act intended to satisfy both consumers that desired ways of improving their health and manufacturers, which looked at this as an opportunity to strengthen their industry with more cooperation from the government. With this legislative action, nutritional supplement producers began making supplements in pill, capsule, tablet, powder and liquid forms. In addition, supplements can still not be marketed beyond their basic functions and are prohibited from stating their products could, “diagnose, treat, cure or prevent a disease.” However, with the influx of some unsafe and improperly labeled supplements that began entering the market, health concerns began to rise among consumers and the Federal Drug Administration needed to take action.

In 2007, the FDA responded by issuing its final ruling on current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) in relation to dietary supplements. These practices were enacted to eliminate quality issues such as mislabeling of products, remove bad packaging, dispel foreign material in containers, remove contaminations and largely improve the safety of these supplements on a consistent level. It also requires factories to conduct proper maintenance of equipment, execute standard manufacturing practices, clean workstations, implement quality control procedures, perform testing of final products, handle complaints and maintain test records. All those who manufacture, package, label or hold dietary supplements must be in compliance with these cGMP regulations by June 2010 to avoid penalties from the FDA. If it deems a dietary supplement unsafe, there will be prompt recalling of the product for safety concerns.

Despite these regulatory concerns, it’s a prime time to be in the nutritional supplement industry. The evolution of dietary supplements from the beginning to its current point is evident. Original supplements that served only one or two functions are now being refined and replaced with newer, multi-function supplements, which are not limited to brain enrichment, bodybuilding, anti-cancer and energy boosts. And with quality concerns peaking at record levels, consumers are looking at safer supplements with superior ingredients in mind. This means manufacturers have to step up to the plate to not only produce supplements that abide by cGMP standards, but those that can rival the competition. Everyone is looking for the best supplements at the lowest price for specific functions in every industry. And since consumers will always be looking for ways to upgrade their health and wellness, this makes supplements even more valuable than ever before. Supplements are finally taking the next leap forward with quality being the guiding light towards success in the industry.