In short, to sell supplements both through offline and online channels, you don't need a license. You don't need any special licenses to sell supplements online. It will be enough to comply with FDA regulations and find a 3PL that is certified by the FDA (if you are looking to outsource the supply of supplements). All of this means that your role as the owner of a business that sells supplements is increasingly important, both for the safety and well-being of your customers and for the longevity and integrity of your business.
If the ingredients of the dietary supplement are already on the market, the manufacturer does not need to present evidence to support its claim of safety or effectiveness. The supplement information panel should indicate the size and number of servings per package, state each dietary ingredient in the product and, with the exception of dietary ingredients that are part of a patented blend, provide information on the amount of the dietary ingredient per serving. Whether you're a medical professional or not, selling private label supplements in private offices, physical stores, or any e-commerce platform is a great way to generate a significant revenue stream. A company generally does not have to provide the FDA with the evidence it relies on to demonstrate safety before or after marketing its products; however, there is an exception for dietary supplements that contain a new dietary ingredient that is not present in the food supply, such as an item used as food in a form in which the food has not been chemically altered.
The types of ingredients listed there may include the sources of dietary ingredients, if they are not listed on the supplement information panel (for example, Amazon, with its reputation for selling anything, offers you The Farthest Reach, the largest online platform for selling your supplements). In addition, the FDA considers advertising when evaluating the intended use of a product labeled as a dietary supplement. The FDA's role in regulating dietary supplements includes (among other things) inspecting dietary supplement manufacturing facilities, reviewing new dietary ingredient (NDI) notifications and other regulatory requests on dietary supplements, investigating complaints, monitoring the dietary supplement market, examining supplements and dietary ingredients offered for import to determine if they meet the requirements. Anyone can directly report an adverse event considered related to a dietary supplement to the FDA by accessing the safety reporting portal.
As the owner of a business that sells supplements, the best thing you can do is to offer products that you believe, at a minimum, the FDA has considered safe. Given the boom in the sale of supplements online, it's important for business owners to pay special attention to industry rules and regulations and, in addition, to provide an excellent customer experience. As long as all supplements meet the FDA-approved labeling standards and requirements, you shouldn't have any problems. The important thing to remember is that supplements and pharmaceuticals work in completely different spaces and shipping the two is a completely different ball game.
A dietary supplement is a product intended for ingestion that, among other requirements, contains a dietary ingredient intended to supplement the diet. Congress defined the term dietary supplement in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994.
