On March 6, 2023 in a Constituent Update, the FDA announced the establishment of its new Dietary Supplement Ingredient Directory, created in an effort "to help manufacturers, retailers, and consumers of dietary supplements stay informed about recent developments and locate information on FDA's website quickly." With the release of the new directory, the FDA is now retiring the FDA Dietary Supplement Advisory Ingredient List, which was the list previously used to quickly alert the public when the FDA identifies ingredients that do not appear to be lawfully marketed in dietary supplements
According to the FDA, the new directory is intended to be "a webpage where the public can look up ingredients used in products marketed as dietary supplements and quickly find what the FDA has said about that ingredient and whether the agency has taken any action with regard to the ingredient."
Dietary supplements are intended to boost and support the diet and are different from conventional food. They include ingredients like vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids, and enzymes, and they are typically available in forms such as tablets, capsules, soft gels, gel caps, powders, and liquids. Dietary ingredients, along with other ingredients such as fillers, binders, and preservatives, may be used in dietary supplements.
As of the date of publishing, the Dietary Supplement Ingredient Directory contains 27 dietary ingredients that FDA has signaled concern over. The FDA acknowledges that this directory is not intended to be "a comprehensive list of all ingredients used in products marketed as dietary supplements," but instead will highlight ingredients that the FDA questioned the use of in dietary supplements and/or addressed concerns for in safety communications and previous warning letters.
The manufacturer, packer, or distributor whose name appears on the label of a dietary supplement (the "responsible firm") should periodically monitor and review the directory before rolling out any new dietary supplement products.
To provide feedback regarding any ingredients listed in the Dietary Supplement Ingredient Directory, consumers may submit information to the FDA's Office of Dietary Supplement Programs.