Manufacturers of dietary supplements are urging the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to broaden the types of ingredients permitted in their products, a move that could pave the way for peptides, probiotics, and other trendy wellness substances. The FDA held a public meeting on Friday to review its longstanding criteria for supplements, which currently require most ingredients to derive from food, vitamins, herbs, or other traditional sources.
The meeting, the first since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became the nation's top health official last year, was requested by the Natural Products Association, an industry group that has clashed with the FDA over new supplement ingredients. In a January letter, the group cited 'the cost and uncertainty that arise when regulatory expectations are unclear.' Kennedy has vowed to 'end the war at FDA' on supplements and peptides, which are popular within his Make America Healthy Again movement.
Under current FDA regulations, supplements are classified as a category of food, with most ingredients coming from plants, herbs, and other substances found in the American diet. However, newer wellness products often contain substances never used in food, such as peptides—druglike chains of amino acids promoted by celebrities for muscle building and anti-aging, despite limited scientific evidence. Some supplement makers have begun adding peptides to capsules, gummies, and powders, technically violating FDA rules, according to agency lawyers.
Industry representatives argue that the law does not explicitly require all ingredients to come from food. 'The hope of the meeting is that FDA is willing to open up its interpretation of what constitutes a dietary ingredient to allow dietary substances that aren’t already in food,' said Robert Durkin, a former FDA supplements official now consulting for companies. If the agency refuses to redefine the term, the industry could sue, citing a 2024 Supreme Court decision that weakened federal regulators' authority to interpret laws.
Kennedy has declared himself 'a big fan' of peptides, telling podcast host Joe Rogan he has used them to treat injuries, and has vowed to loosen FDA limits on injectable peptides. His allies include Gary Brecka, a self-described 'longevity expert' selling peptide products, and Dr. Mark Hyman, who sells supplements claiming to contain peptides. Two former health advisers from Kennedy's presidential campaign also have ties to the industry: Calley Means, now a senior adviser at the Department of Health and Human Services, co-founded a platform for spending tax-free health dollars on supplements, while his sister Dr. Casey Means, nominee for surgeon general, made hundreds of thousands of dollars promoting supplements.
The FDA does not review supplements for safety and effectiveness like drugs, nor does it maintain a complete list of products on the market. With an estimated 100,000 or more supplements available, manufacturers are legally responsible for ensuring their products are safe and truthfully advertised, though supplements cannot claim to treat specific diseases. The 1994 law that gave the FDA oversight also exempted supplement makers from nutrition labeling requirements that mandate scientific support for health claims.
