How to Read a UK Supplement Label (Line by Line)

Written by Barry Lees, Founder of The Health Improvers. Last reviewed 31 July 2026.

Short answer: read a UK supplement label in this order: recommended daily dose, declared quantities, %NRV, ingredient forms, allergens, warnings, business details and date or lot information. The front of the pack is advertising context; the back tells you what the product contains and how it must be used.

1. What must a food-supplement label include?

A product sold as a food supplement in Great Britain must follow general food-information rules and the specific food-supplement regulations. Core particulars include:

• the designation “food supplement”;
• the category or nature of the substances characterising it;
• the recommended daily portion;
• the amount of each vitamin, mineral or other substance with a nutritional or physiological effect in that daily portion;
• where relevant, vitamin and mineral quantities expressed as a percentage of the NRV;
• a warning not to exceed the recommended daily dose;
• a statement that supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet;
• a statement to keep the product out of reach of young children;
• an ingredients list with regulated allergens emphasised;
• the responsible business name and postal address;
• a best-before or use-by date, plus applicable lot identification;
• net quantity and any necessary storage or use instructions.

The exact layout varies, but the information must be accurate, legible and not misleading.

2. Read the product name and strapline in context

A product name is not a free space. It must describe the food appropriately, must not mislead about composition or effect, and must not present a food supplement as a medicine.

Names and straplines can themselves create nutrition, health or medicinal claims. Terms such as “relief”, “treatment”, “cure” or the name of a medical condition require particular caution. Regulators consider the complete presentation, including the name, images, product page and linked marketing.

3. Check every health claim against the named constituent

An authorised health claim should relate clearly to the nutrient, food or substance for which it is authorised. For example:

Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
Zinc contributes to normal cognitive function.

The wording may sometimes be adapted to improve consumer understanding, but it must retain the authorised meaning and must not strengthen it. The product must also meet every condition of use in the GB Nutrition and Health Claims Register.

Many vitamin and mineral claims rely on the product providing a significant amount, commonly 15% of the NRV in the amount reasonably expected to be consumed. For a supplement, compare this with the recommended daily portion and check the exact condition attached to the particular claim. The 15% figure is not a universal rule for every type of claim.

4. Check the recommended daily portion—not only each capsule

If the directions say three capsules daily, a pack of 90 normally provides 30 days. Compare products using both:

• quantity per capsule; and
• quantity per recommended daily portion.

If the directions give a range, such as one to three capsules daily, the label should make the declared quantities clear enough for consumers to understand what each intake supplies.

5. Understand %NRV

NRV means Nutrient Reference Value. It provides a standard reference for comparing declared vitamin and mineral quantities; it is not a personalised target and it does not establish that more is better.

A nutrient can have different authorised claims, each with its own conditions. Use the current GB Register rather than assuming that any amount allows any claim.

6. Separate actual extract weight from equivalent plant weight

Botanical supplements may declare both the weight of an extract and the amount of raw plant material to which it is equivalent.

For example, 480mg of a 10:1 extract can be described as equivalent to 4,800mg of starting plant material. The 4,800mg figure is not the physical weight inside the capsule.

An extract ratio describes concentration; it does not by itself prove quality, composition or effect. More useful information may include:

• the actual extract weight;
• the plant part used;
• the extraction ratio and solvent where relevant;
• a measured standardisation marker; and
• a current raw-material specification.

7. Read the ingredients list

Subject to limited exceptions, ingredients are listed in descending order by weight at the time of manufacture. The list should include the capsule shell and relevant additives as well as the characterising ingredients.

HPMC is commonly used for plant-based capsule shells. Gelatin is animal-derived. Suitability statements such as vegan, Halal or Kosher should be supported by the product’s current composition and, where claimed, relevant certification.

8. Check regulated allergens carefully

Prepacked food must emphasise any of the 14 regulated allergens when used as ingredients. The legal category is cereals containing gluten, not simply “gluten”. Sulphur dioxide and sulphites are included when present above 10mg/kg or 10mg/litre.

Supplement-relevant examples can include crustacean-derived glucosamine, fish oils, milk-derived ingredients, soya lecithin and cereals containing gluten.

Precautionary statements such as “may contain” or “made in a facility that also handles” are different from declared ingredients. They are voluntary warnings that should follow a genuine cross-contamination risk assessment.

9. Read directions, warnings and caffeine declarations

Directions and warnings are product-specific. Read them before purchase if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, take medication or are buying for a child.

For relevant food supplements containing caffeine, the label must state:

Contains caffeine. Not recommended for children or pregnant women.

This must be followed by the caffeine content per portion recommended for daily consumption. Ingredients such as guarana can contribute caffeine even where “caffeine” is not the most prominent name on the front.

10. Check the business details, date, lot and storage information

• Business name and postal address: required for accountability; an email address alone is not sufficient.
• Best-before or use-by date: date marking is normally mandatory for prepacked supplements.
• Lot identification: needed for traceability, although an appropriately expressed date can sometimes serve as the lot indication.
• Country of origin: not compulsory on every supplement, but required in particular cases, including where omission would mislead.
• Storage: follow any temperature, refrigeration, light or moisture instructions.

The thirty-second check

1. Confirm the recommended daily portion and number of days in the pack.
2. Compare quantities per daily portion, not only front-of-pack numbers.
3. Check actual extract weight versus equivalent plant weight.
4. Read ingredients, allergens, capsule shell and warnings.
5. Check that any benefit statement maps to an applicable authorised claim and its conditions.

How we checked this guide

This guide was reviewed against current Great Britain food-supplement, food-information, allergen, caffeine and nutrition-and-health-claims guidance on 31 July 2026.

Sources

1. GOV.UK: food supplements and mandatory labelling
2. Government guidance notes on food-supplement legislation
3. GOV.UK: giving food information to consumers
4. Food Standards Agency allergen guidance
5. Government guidance for supplements containing caffeine
6. GB nutrition and health-claims guidance

Always read the label. Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.

Continue with what %NRV means or which supplement health claims are legal in Great Britain.