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MULTIVITAMINSYour guide to different types of multivitamins.
Synthetic Vitamins
If the vitamins and/or minerals in the product -
- are from raw materials that do NOT occur in nature
- are from raw materials that are NOT known to be naturally rich in those vitamins / minerals
- are from raw materials that may be genetically modified
- are synthesized from petroleum by-products or other industrial chemicals and solvents
- are in synthetic, isolated, fractionated form
- are with or without co-factors; when co-factors are present, they are also in synthetic form
Note: Even if the product contains other ingredients (e.g. herbs, herbal extracts, fruit powders, vegetable powders, enzymes, probiotics, green powders), it must be considered a synthetic multivitamin product for the purposes of labeling and marketing.
Acceptable terms to describe the multivitamin product: Multivitamin, Multimineral, Co-enzymated, Chelated
Unacceptable terms to describe the multivitamin product: Natural, Food-based, Food-sourced, Food-created, Food-grown, Whole-food, or any combination thereof. In fact, companies may NOT use any terms that have the potential to imply to the consumer that the vitamins and/or minerals in the product are derived from raw materials that occur in nature or that they are in a form that the body will readily recognize as food.
Cultured Vitamins
If the vitamins and/or minerals in the product -
- are from raw materials that do NOT occur in nature
- are from raw materials that are NOT known to be naturally rich in those vitamins / minerals
- are from raw materials that may be genetically modified
- are synthesized from petroleum by-products or other industrial chemicals and solvents
- are cultured / grown in yeast and/or probiotic media along with other co-nutrients
- may have “co-factors” or “co-nutrients” that are “synthetic” “added” and cultured with the vitamins and minerals; in other words, co-factors are NOT naturally-occurring
Note: Even if the product contains other ingredients (e.g. herbs, herbal extracts, fruit powders, vegetable powders, enzymes, probiotics, green powders), it must be considered a cultured multivitamin product for the purposes of labeling and marketing.
Acceptable terms to describe the multivitamin product: Multivitamin, Multimineral, Cultured, Co-enzymated (if the appropriate co-factors are present)
Unacceptable terms to describe the multivitamin product: Natural, Food-based, Food-sourced, Food-created, Food-grown, Whole-food, or any combination thereof. In fact, companies must NOT use any terms that have the potential to imply to the consumer that the vitamins and/or minerals in the product are derived from raw materials that occur in nature or that they are in a form that the body will readily recognize as food.
Food-Sourced Vitamins
If the vitamins and/or minerals in the product -
- are from raw materials that DO occur in nature (e.g. algae, fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices)
- are from raw materials that are known to be naturally rich in those vitamins / minerals
- are from raw materials that are NOT genetically modified
- are from raw materials that do NOT include petroleum by-products or other industrial chemicals and solvents
- are standardized to contain the naturally-occurring vitamins and minerals in a form that the body recognizes as food
- may contain some of the naturally-occurring co-factors
Note: Regardless of whether or not the product contains other ingredients (e.g. herbs, herbal extracts, fruit powders, vegetable powders, enzymes, probiotics, green powders), it must be considered a food-sourced multivitamin product for the purposes of labeling and marketing.
Acceptable terms to describe the multivitamin product: Multivitamin, Multimineral, Food-sourced, Food-based
Acceptable, but NOT recommended terms to describe the multivitamin product: Natural (because there is currently no universally accepted definition of natural), Food-created / Food-grown (because these are made-up words that have no formal definition)
Whole-Food Vitamins
If the vitamins and/or minerals in the product -
- are from raw materials that DO occur in nature (e.g. algae, fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices)
- are from raw materials that are known to be naturally rich in those vitamins / minerals
- are from raw materials that are NOT genetically modified
- are from raw materials that do NOT include petroleum by-products or other industrial chemicals and solvents
- are full-spectrum concentrated to contain the naturally-occurring vitamins and minerals along with co-factors and other bioactive compounds
- are in a form that is highly bioavailable and the body recognizes as food
Note: Regardless of whether or not the product contains other ingredients (e.g. herbs, herbal extracts, fruit powders, vegetable powders, enzymes, probiotics, green powders), it must be considered a whole-food multivitamin product for the purposes of labeling and marketing.
Acceptable terms to describe the multivitamin product: Whole-food Multivitamin, Whole-food Multivitamin / Multimineral, Food-sourced, Food-based
Acceptable, but NOT recommended terms to describe the multivitamin product: Natural (because there is currently no universally accepted definition of natural), Food-created / Food-grown (because these are made-up words that have no formal definition)
