How to Check If a Supplement Is Legit in Your Country (US, UK, Canada, Australia, NZ)

By Jake Mitchell · Facts checked September 30, 2026

Being on sale doesn’t mean a supplement has been checked. What a regulator looks at before a product reaches the shelf varies a lot between countries, and in some, nobody checks it before it goes on sale. Here’s what each country’s rules say, and how to look a product up yourself.

At a glance

Country	Checked before sale?	What to look for	Where to look it up
United States	No. “FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed.”	Health claims come with an FDA disclaimer (see below)	FDA Health Fraud Product Database and FDA recalls
Canada	Yes. Every natural health product needs a licence before it’s sold.	An eight-digit NPN or DIN-HM number	Licensed Natural Health Products Database
Australia	Depends on the number. AUST R and AUST L(A) medicines are assessed for efficacy; AUST L medicines are not.	An AUST L, AUST L(A) or AUST R number	Search the ARTG by name or AUST number
United Kingdom	Food supplements are not medicines, so they don’t carry a medicines licence. They must not claim to prevent, treat or cure a medical condition.	The THR mark on herbal medicines; health claims from the official register	MHRA list of THR herbal medicines and the GB health claims register
New Zealand	No. Medsafe says “there is no pre-approval process for dietary supplements.”	No licence number to check	Medsafe safety information and recalled food products

United States: no approval before sale

The FDA is clear: “FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed.” Its role mostly begins after a product is on sale, when it can act against supplements that are unsafe or mislabeled.

When a US supplement claims to affect the body’s structure or function, the label has to carry this disclaimer: “This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.” Because the FDA doesn’t approve supplements before sale, an ad calling one “FDA approved” deserves a second look.

To check a product, search the Health Fraud Product Database, which lists products cited in FDA warning letters, recalls and public notices. The FDA notes that it covers only a small fraction of potentially hazardous products, so a product not being listed doesn’t make it safe.

Canada: look for the NPN

All natural health products sold in Canada need a product licence. According to Health Canada, “products with a licence have been assessed by Health Canada and found to be safe, effective and of high quality under their recommended conditions of use.”

A licensed product shows an eight-digit Natural Product Number (NPN), or a DIN-HM for homeopathic medicines. You can search the number, product name or company in the Licensed Natural Health Products Database, which also lists each product’s approved uses and warnings.

Australia: AUST L, AUST L(A) and AUST R

Medicines on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) show an AUST number on the label. The letters matter:

• AUST R (registered) and AUST L(A) (assessed listed) medicines are assessed for efficacy.
• AUST L (listed) medicines are not assessed for efficacy. They’re the lowest-risk medicines: the TGA says they “can only use low-risk ingredients and low-level indications (health claims)” chosen from TGA-approved lists.

You can search the ARTG by product name or AUST number. If a product claims more than its AUST type allows, or has no AUST number at all, be careful.

United Kingdom: food law, medicines and THR

In the UK, food supplements are not medicinal products. Government guidance says they “should not be sold with claims that they can prevent, treat or cure a medical condition,” because that is the job of medicines, and doing so is an offence.

Herbal medicines can hold a Traditional Herbal Registration (THR) from the MHRA. The THR mark shows that a product meets standards of “quality, safety and evidence of traditional use.” To get one, a product must have been used for the condition for at least 30 years, and THRs cover minor conditions that don’t need medical supervision. The MHRA publishes a list of THR herbal medicines.

Health claims on food and supplements are also controlled: only claims authorized on the Great Britain nutrition and health claims register may be used in Great Britain.

New Zealand: no pre-approval

Medsafe states that “there is no pre-approval process for dietary supplements.” They have been regulated under the Dietary Supplements Regulations 1985, which were due to expire on March 1, 2026, as New Zealand moves food-type supplements to a “supplemented food” standard under the Food Act. The rules are changing, so check Medsafe or New Zealand Food Safety for the current position.

With no licence number to check, the most useful steps are to search Medsafe’s safety information and the list of recalled food products.

Quality seals: what they do and don’t tell you

Some supplements carry a seal from an independent testing organization. The US National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements names three that offer this testing: ConsumerLab.com, NSF International and U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP).

According to the NIH, these seals show “the product was properly manufactured, contains the ingredients listed on the label, and does not contain harmful levels of contaminants.” It also warns: “These seals do not guarantee that a product is safe or effective.” A seal is a useful sign of quality, not a sign that the product works.

Three checks before you buy

1. Find the number and look it up. In Canada, the NPN. In Australia, the AUST number. For UK herbal medicines, the THR. In the US and New Zealand, where there’s no approval number, check recalls and warnings instead: see our guide to health product recalls and warnings.
2. Compare the claims with the rules. An AUST L product claiming to treat a serious illness, a UK supplement claiming to cure anything or using a health claim that isn’t on the register, or a US supplement called “FDA approved” are all warning signs.
3. Ask a professional. The FTC puts it simply: “Your doctor or health provider is your best and most important source of information on whether a product is safe for you.” This matters most if you take other medicines.

Report a problem

Country	Where to report a side effect
United States	See your health care provider first, then report through the Safety Reporting Portal
Canada	Report a side effect of a natural health product (Health Canada)
Australia	TGA safety information and reporting
United Kingdom	Yellow Card scheme (MHRA)
New Zealand	Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring (CARM)

How we checked

We read each regulator’s own pages, listed below, on September 30, 2026. This is general consumer information, not advice about any product or condition. If something here has changed, tell us at jakemitchell@toptierfind.com.

Sources

• FDA, Questions and Answers on Dietary Supplements
• FDA, Health Fraud Product Database
• NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know
• Health Canada, Licensed Natural Health Products Database
• TGA, AUST numbers on medicine labels and Understanding listed and registered complementary medicine regulation
• GOV.UK (MHRA), Traditional herbal registration (THR) and Herbal medicines granted a THR
• GOV.UK, Great Britain nutrition and health claims (NHC) register, updated May 19, 2026, and Food supplements guidance, June 25, 2026
• Medsafe, Regulation of Dietary Supplements
• MPI, Policy statement on extending the Dietary Supplements Regulations
• FTC Consumer Advice, Common Health Scams, November 2024