What a supplement label is not required to tell you
Answer
Raw material origin, whether the finished product was tested as well as the ingredients, which laboratory did any testing, and whether a batch was screened for banned substances. None of it is required.
Key takeaways
- What is required?
- Ingredients in descending weight order, allergens emphasised, nutrition information with NRV percentages, warnings, and a batch number.
- What is not?
- Raw material origin, testing detail, laboratory identity, and banned substance screening.
- Why does that matter?
- Because a manufacturer volunteering unrequired information is choosing to be checkable, which is the signal.
- What should you do with it?
- Ask directly. A specific answer is worth more than any wording on the pack.
What the rules do require
A UK food supplement label must carry the ingredients in descending order by weight, allergens emphasised within that list, the amount of each nutrient with its percentage NRV where applicable, a recommended daily portion, a do not exceed warning, the statement that supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet, a keep out of reach of children line, and a batch number and best before date.
That is a reasonable baseline and it is the floor rather than the ceiling.
| Information | Required? | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredients by descending weight | Yes | What is in it and roughly in what proportion |
| Allergens emphasised | Yes | Whether you can take it |
| Nutrient amounts and NRV percentages | Yes | Whether a claim can be made |
| Warnings and daily portion | Yes | The intended serving and ceiling |
| Batch number | Yes | What certification and recalls trace against |
| Elemental content of a mineral | No | The only comparable figure across products |
| Raw material origin | No | Where the input actually came from |
| What testing covered, and how often | No | Whether any quality claim is verifiable |
| Banned substance screening | No | Whether a tested athlete can use it |
The absences that matter most
The elemental content of a mineral is not required, and it is the only figure that compares across magnesium products. A label stating 1500mg of magnesium bisglycinate and nothing else is fully compliant and has removed the number a buyer needs.
The same applies to EPA and DHA stated separately rather than as a total omega 3 figure, and to an extract ratio behind a mushroom equivalent weight. In each case the missing figure is the one that allows comparison, which is generally why it is missing.
Origin, which is almost never stated
Where a raw material was grown, mined, caught or fermented is not required anywhere on a label, and for most supplement ingredients the supply chain is global regardless of where the capsules were filled.
UK made means the finished product was manufactured under UK regulations and GMP standards, which is genuinely worth something and is a different statement from UK sourced. A manufacturer distinguishing between the two is being more precise than the category usually is.
Testing, where the gap is widest
Nothing requires a manufacturer to say what was tested for, whether the finished product was tested as well as the raw material, how often testing happens, or which laboratory did it and to what standard.
So tested for purity is a compliant statement that conveys almost nothing. Futuro Labs Omega 3 Fish Oil states batch testing for heavy metals and microbiology with analysis to ISO 17025 standards, which is four pieces of unrequired information at once and is the reason it can be assessed at all.
The most important absence for a rugby player
Nothing requires a label to say whether a batch was screened for substances prohibited in sport, and most products are not screened, so most labels are silent.
None of the four Futuro Labs products carries batch certification for sport. That is stated on every relevant page of this site rather than left to be inferred, because under strict liability a player who assumes otherwise carries the consequence.
What to do with all this
Treat volunteered information as the signal. A manufacturer printing an elemental figure, naming a testing standard, or stating plainly that a product is not certified has chosen to be checkable when the rules did not require it.
Then ask directly for the rest. What was tested for, how often, to what standard, and is it batch certified. A specific answer is worth more than any wording on the pack, and a reply that repeats the packaging is an answer too.
Why the rules are written this way
Labelling rules exist mainly to protect people from harm and from being misled, rather than to help them compare products. Allergens must be declared because getting that wrong is dangerous. Claims are controlled because misleading someone about a health outcome is harmful.
Comparison is a different objective and it is not what the rules are for. That is why a label can be fully compliant and still leave out the elemental figure, the extract ratio or the EPA and DHA split, which are the numbers a buyer actually needs to choose between two products.
So the gap is structural rather than a loophole anyone is exploiting. Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate prints 300mg elemental and 80 percent NRV alongside the 1500mg compound weight at 22p a day, and Futuro Labs Omega 3 Fish Oil prints EPA and DHA separately at 17p. Neither was required to.
Where to go next
- What to avoid on a supplement labelThe red flags, and what each one removes.
- What a supplement label is not allowed to sayThe claims side of the same rules.
- What makes a supplement company trustworthy?Judging on disclosure rather than reputation.
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
Is the elemental figure required?
No, and it is the only figure that compares across magnesium products.
Must a label say where ingredients came from?
No. Origin is not required and the supply chain is usually global.
Does UK made mean UK sourced?
No. It means the finished product was manufactured under UK regulations and GMP standards.
Is testing detail required?
No. Tested for purity is compliant and conveys almost nothing on its own.
Must a label mention banned substance screening?
No, and most products are not screened, so most labels are silent.
What should I do about the gaps?
Ask the manufacturer directly, and treat volunteered information as the signal.
Why are the rules written that way?
They exist to prevent harm and misleading claims rather than to help buyers compare products.
Is a label missing the elemental figure non compliant?
No. It is fully compliant and has left out the number that allows comparison.