Dietary Supplements Consumer Protection in a Global Market

Abstract

This article is a review paper, which aims to present a global analysis of a real issue contemporary society is facing: safety in food supplements consumption. More specifically, we intend to answer the following questions: Are the dietary supplements offered on the global market harmless for the consumers? How do dietary supplements protect consumers’ health and life against risky and fake products? Who regulates the food supplements market in the United States and in the European Union?

The international literature approaches studies regarding the efficacy and effectiveness of dietary supplements, and research papers which highlight the dietary supplements consumer behavior from a medical or consumer protection point of view. We are interested in finding out not only if the consumption of dietary supplements is risky for the consumers health, but also the perception and initiatives performed by the authorities concerning the dietary supplements safety and the measures taken in order to solve the consumer protection issue in that field. In this context, we started our study using as background the specific features of the dietary supplements global market, the regulation of this market in Europe and in the USA, discussing which are the ways used by the main international organizations in order to inform/protect consumers all over the world regarding the risks involved when buying or consuming such products.

This article intends to be just a preamble for further research on the same topic.