Recent decisions by the National Advertising Division highlight the importance of clarity in marketing mineral content for supplement brands, specifically in relation to Nature’s Truth’s Magnesium Glycinate Gummies. This ruling calls attention to how companies communicate the nutritional benefits of their products on both packaging and online platforms.
The case, initiated by Pharmavite, LLC, questioned whether the phrase “200 mg per serving” could be reasonably understood by consumers as indicating that the product contained 200 mg of magnesium, despite the Supplement Facts panel revealing only 22 mg of magnesium, or 5% of the Daily Value.
NAD concluded, “Since the product does not provide 200 mg of elemental magnesium per serving, the front label claim is unsubstantiated.”
As a result, the organization advised Nature’s Truth to cease using the claim “200 mg magnesium per serving” and to revise additional advertising related to magnesium content.
Analysis of Digital Marketing
The NAD also examined social media advertisements showcasing the product label without including the relevant nutrition disclosures, which emphasized the “200 mg of Magnesium per serving” claim.
According to the decision, Nature’s Truth “asserted that its gummies contain ‘200 mg of magnesium per serving’ without mentioning ‘glycinate.’”
NAD found that consumers could likely interpret this claim as pertaining to elemental magnesium rather than the weight of the compound, even when the product actually contained only 22 mg of magnesium per serving.
Variability in Industry Magnesium Labeling Practices
The issues surrounding magnesium labeling are not new within the industry. In 2022, NOW Foods released findings that identified inaccuracies and potentially misleading labeling on magnesium supplements available on Amazon, which highlighted confusion regarding both potency and mineral content related to magnesium glycinate.
Zheng Wang, an attorney at the National Advertising Division, remarked that advertisers must validate all reasonable consumer interpretations linked to their claims.
“An advertiser must substantiate all messages reasonably conveyed, even if that message is unintended,” he emphasized.
Wang further explained that if a company claims a specific amount of a source compound in a product, the context of that claim should avoid presenting an unsupported impression regarding the quantity of the ingredient or the elemental nutrient.
He observed that supplement manufacturers are currently employing varying methods for presenting magnesium content on their labels.
“For magnesium supplements, some companies display the amount of elemental magnesium on the front of the label; others provide both the elemental magnesium amount and the source compound content, clarifying which number applies to which ingredient,” Wang noted.
Nature’s Truth has indicated that it “will comply with NAD’s recommendations.”
NutraIngredients attempted to reach out to both Nature’s Truth and Pharmavite, LLC, for comments. Pharmavite declined to provide a response, and Nature’s Truth had not replied by the time of publication.
