How to read a vitamin label
Answer
Read the panel for the amount per serving and the percentage NRV, the ingredients for form and excipients, and the warnings for the supplemental ceiling. Four places, ninety seconds.
Key takeaways
- Where is the answer?
- The nutrition panel: amount per serving and percentage NRV. The front of pack carries the marketing.
- What does the NRV percentage mean?
- How much of the labelling reference value one serving provides. 15 percent is the minimum for any claim.
- What does the ingredients order tell you?
- Ingredients are listed by descending weight, so anything above the active makes up more of the capsule.
The four places to look
The nutrition panel gives the serving size, the amount of each nutrient per serving and the percentage NRV. The ingredients list gives the form, the excipients and the capsule material, in descending order by weight. The warnings carry the do not exceed line and the varied diet advisory. And the base of the tub carries the batch number and best before date.
The front of pack carries the compound weight and the marketing, and is the least informative surface on the product.
What the NRV percentage does
It expresses one serving against the labelling reference value, and 15 percent is the threshold below which no claim can be made for that nutrient at all. So a percentage tells you both how much you are getting and whether the product can legally say anything about it.
Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate states 300mg of elemental magnesium at 80 percent of the 375mg reference value, for 22p a day. Divide the amount by the reference value and the percentage should agree. If it does not, the label is inconsistent.
The lines people skip
Warnings should carry a do not exceed the stated dose line, the statement that food supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet, and a keep out of reach of children line. Their absence is a compliance problem and a fair signal about the rest of the product.
Allergens must be emphasised within the ingredients list, usually in bold, and the capsule material is a separate ingredient from the contents. And the batch number on the base is what any certification, recall or query traces against, which is why keeping the tub while you take it costs nothing and occasionally matters.
The full version
- How to read a supplement labelThe full method across all four products.
- How to check a magnesium label before you buyThe same method applied to one category in detail.
The product
Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate
Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate is the 300mg elemental one at 22p a day, a two capsule serving covering 80 percent of the 375mg reference value, UK made and independently lab tested for purity.
- 300mg elemental magnesium, 80% NRV
- Bisglycinate, best tolerated common form
- UK made to GMP, lab tested for purity
- Not batch certified for sport
Sharper Rugby is published by Futuro Labs. If you buy through this link Futuro Labs earns from the sale. Prices are set by Amazon.
Questions players ask
Where is the useful information?
The nutrition panel and the ingredients list, not the front of pack.
What does 15 percent NRV mean?
The minimum at which any claim can be made for that nutrient.
Why does ingredient order matter?
Ingredients are listed by descending weight, so position tells you proportion.
What warnings should be present?
A do not exceed line, the varied diet advisory and a keep out of reach of children statement.