A recent National Advertising Division ruling on Nature’s Truth’s Magnesium Glycinate Gummies advertising claims is prompting a closer look at how supplement brands communicate mineral content across packaging and digital marketing.
At issue in the case, brought by Pharmavite, LLC, was whether consumers could reasonably interpret “200 mg per serving” messaging to mean the product delivered 200 mg of magnesium, even though the Supplement Facts panel listed 22 mg of magnesium, representing 5% Daily Value.
“As the product does not contain 200 mg of elemental magnesium per serving, the front label claim is unsubstantiated,” NAD wrote in its case decision.
The organization ultimately recommended that Nature’s Truth discontinue the express claim “200 mg magnesium per serving” and modify additional advertising tied to magnesium quantity.
Digital marketing analysis
NAD also reviewed social media advertising that displayed the front label without the accompanying nutrition disclosure and claims referencing “200 mg of Magnesium per serving.”
According to the decision, Nature’s Truth “stated that its gummies have ‘200 mg of magnesium per serving’ without reference to ‘glycinate.’”
NAD concluded that consumers could reasonably interpret the advertising as referring to elemental magnesium rather than compound weight, despite the product containing 22 mg of magnesium per serving.
Industry practices around magnesium labeling vary
Questions around magnesium labeling are not entirely new for the category. In 2022, NOW Foods published testing that it said found inaccurate and potentially misleading labeling on magnesium supplements sold on Amazon, including confusion about the potency and mineral content of magnesium glycinate.
Speaking to NutraIngredients, Zheng Wang, an attorney at the National Advertising Division, said advertisers are responsible for substantiating all reasonable consumer takeaways associated with a claim.
“An advertiser must substantiate all messages reasonably conveyed, even if that message is unintended,” Wang said.
He said that “if an advertiser states the amount of a source compound in a particular product, the advertiser should ensure that the context in which the claim appears does not convey an unsupported message about the quantity of the ingredient or the elemental nutrient.”
He noted that supplement companies currently take different approaches when presenting magnesium content on labels.
“In the context of magnesium supplements, some companies list the amount of elemental magnesium on the front of the label; others list both the amount of elemental magnesium and the amount of the source compound, making clear which number refers to which ingredient,” Wang added.
Nature’s Truth stated in the case decision that it “will comply with NAD’s recommendations.”
NutraIngredients reached out to Nature’s Truth and Pharmavite, LLC, for comment. Pharmavite declined to comment, and Nature’s Truth did not respond to the request by the time of publication.
