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Products subject to our policy on Dietary Supplements must also adhere to other prohibited products policies including our policy on Drugs & Drug Paraphernalia or Walmart will automatically unpublish your item.
What is the policy?
Dietary supplements may be sold on Walmart Marketplace if they comply with the Federal, Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) and FDA regulations and guidance regarding dietary supplements, state and local laws and regulations, and relevant laws and guidance implemented by the FTC.
Walmart prohibits the sale of unsafe dietary supplements or dietary supplements containing dietary ingredients that do not meet FDA requirements. The policy below sets out all ways a dietary supplement or ingredient may be considered unsafe, which will be determined by a federal or state agency (e.g., FDA). Walmart also has the discretion to determine that certain dietary supplements or dietary ingredients are not safe for consumers generally or for a specific subpopulation of consumers.
Any product that purports to be a Dietary Supplement but that implicitly or explicitly claims, in labels, labeling or advertising, to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent diseases, illnesses, ailments, infections, or viruses is prohibited from sale on Walmart Marketplace. These products are considered by FDA to be unapproved drugs and therefore can't be sold.
Additional information
Dietary supplements are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FDA regulates the types of ingredients allowed in dietary supplements and the types of claims that can be made about an ingredient and/or a product.
While dietary supplements are not formally “approved" by FDA in the same way that some drugs are, to be legally marketed in the U.S. the dietary ingredient in a dietary supplement must either have been marketed as a dietary ingredient in the U.S. before October 15, 1994, be generally recognized as safe by FDA, been submitted to FDA as a “new dietary ingredient," or be marketed pursuant to an approved food additive petition.
Dietary supplements also must meet specific labeling requirements. Dietary Supplement labeling must contain the following elements:
the statement of identity (name of the dietary supplement),
the net quantity of contents statement (amount of the dietary supplement),
the nutrition labeling,
the ingredient list, and
the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor.
FDA also requires that dietary supplements be manufactured in accordance with FDA’s rules on Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs). CGMPs set quality requirements and standards for the manufacturing, packaging, labeling, and storing of dietary supplement products.
Health-related advertising claims about dietary supplements, which include claims in the website product description, are regulated primarily by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Statements made about dietary supplements must be truthful and not misleading and must have adequate substantiation by competent and reliable scientific evidence. FTC’s Health Products Compliance Guidance is a helpful tool for figuring out what kinds of claims and substantiation are appropriate for dietary supplements. In addition, claims about dietary supplements must be limited to the role the dietary ingredient plays in affecting the structure or function of the body, maintaining that structure or function, or general well-being. FDA requires that structure/function claims be accompanied by the disclaimer: "This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease." An example of a structure/function claim is: "melatonin will help you get to sleep."
Policy basics
Prohibited | Allowed with Restriction | Allowed |
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| Dietary Supplements must:
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The information found within this policy and the related hyperlinks is for general informational purposes only and is not considered legal advice. This policy may contain links to third party content, which Walmart does not warrant, endorse, or assume liability for and your reliance on such content is solely at your own discretion.