Changes to USA Supplement Labels

Due to new FDA regulations in the U.S., there are two changes that apply to the supplement facts panel on Nordic Naturals Arctic Cod Liver Oil liquids.

Note, these changes do not apply to the Nordic Naturals Arctic Cod Liver Oil soft-gels. This is because Arctic Cod Liver Oil liquid is classified as a food in Australia and does not require the label to be changed to meet Australian TGA guidelines (and is therefore sold with their USA label in Australia). Whereas, the soft-gels is classified as a health supplement (and therefore labelled to Australian TGA guidelines).

Note: These changes apply to all foods and supplements in the USA, and changes are not limited to vitamins A & D. However, Arctic Cod Liver Oil liquid is the only product sold by RN Labs that is affected by these changes.

Nordic Naturals Arctic Cod Liver Oil is made from 100% wild Arctic cod. No fish body oils or synthetic vitamins or additives are ever used.

#1 – Change to Vitamin A ‘Range’

Previously, the vitamin A in the Arctic Cod Liver Oil liquid was listed as a range (e.g. 425-1500 IU) since it is naturally occurring in the fish and therefore the amount naturally varies. The new FDA guidelines means that the vitamin A will now be listed as a single value.

You can be assured there has been no change to the formulation. The naturally-occurring vitamin A (in cis-Retinol form) still naturally varies – it is only the way it is listed on the label that has changed.

#2 – Change to Vitamin D ‘Range’

Previously, the Arctic Cod liver Oil liquid label listed the naturally-occurring vitamin D as 0-20 I.U per teaspoon.

However, like the soft-gels, vitamin D is no longer listed on the label. Each teaspoon still contains anywhere from 0-20 I.U., depending on the natural seasonal variants of the fish caught.

This synergistic combination of vitamins as a natural wholefood source is a key benefit of choosing genuine and pure Arctic Cod Liver Oil.

#3 – Change to Vitamins A and D Units of Measure

Both vitamins A & D are to be listed as mcg instead of IU. More details are provided below.

VITAMIN A

• New unit of measure called Retinol Activity Equivalence (RAE).
• Changing from IU to mcg RAE.
• RAE represents weight of material, but still accounts for different forms of vitamin A
• Retinol and beta-carotene have different metabolism and activity in the body and therefore have different RAEs
• 1 mcg retinol = 1 mcg RAE
• 2 mcg beta-carotene = 1 mcg RAE
• RAE does not need to be on the label, it will be represented by the new measurement mcg
• For vitamin A, the old measurement IU is not allowed on the label alongide mcg

VITAMIN D

• Moving from IU to mcg
• IU can remain on the label alongside mcg
• 1 mcg is equal to 40 IU

These changes have already started to appear on some Arctic Cod Liver Oil liquid skus. Should you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact our tech team: [email protected]

In health,

The team at RN Labs