Notice of Opportunity for Public Comment on the Dietary Supplement Label Database

SUMMARY:

This document, originally published on October 29, 2015 (80 FR 66549), has been amended to extend the comment receipt date to December 31, 2015. The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the National Institutes of Health, in partnership with the National Library of Medicine (NLM), has developed a Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD) that is compiling all information from the labels of dietary supplements marketed in the United States. ODS welcomes comments about features to add and functionality improvements to make so the DSLD may become a more useful tool to users.

A federal stakeholder panel for the DSLD will consider all comments received. The ODS requests input from academic researchers, government agencies, the dietary supplement industry, and other interested parties, including consumers. The DSLD can be accessed online at http://dsld.nlm.nih.gov.

DATES:

To ensure full consideration, all comments must be received by 11:59 p.m. EST, December 31, 2015.

ADDRESSES:

Interested individuals and organizations should submit their responses to ODS@nih.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Richard Bailen MBA, MHA, Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health, 6100 Executive Boulevard, Room 3B01, Bethesda, MD 20892-7517, Phone: 301-435-2920, Fax: 301-480-1845, Email: ODS@nih.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The DSLD is a free resource that captures all information present on dietary supplement labels as provided by the seller, including contents, ingredient amounts, and any health-related product statements, claims, and cautions. It also provides a downloadable photo of each label. Users can search for and organize this information in various ways. Research scientists, for example, could use the DSLD to determine total nutrient intakes from food and supplements in populations they study. Health care providers can learn the content of products their patients are taking. Consumers might use the DSLD to search for and compare products of interest.

The DSLD currently contains 50,000 labels, and it is expected to grow rapidly over the next three years to include most of the estimated 75,000+ dietary supplement products sold to American consumers. The DSLD is updated regularly to include any formulation changes and label information in a product. It also includes the labels of products that have been discontinued and are no longer sold. More information about the DSLD and its current capabilities is available at http://www.dsld.nlm.nih.gov and at Dwyer et al., 2014.

ODS would like to receive ideas and suggestions for how the DSLD might evolve. What features might be added, improved, or enhanced—for example, in capabilities related to search, sorting, organization, and downloading of information—that would make it a more valuable tool for users?