Do dietary supplements require a blue hat?

The answer depends on the situation - domestically approved health food dietary supplements must carry a blue hat, while dietary supplements that fall into the general food category do not need to apply for a blue hat label.

The Blue Hat is essentially the exclusive approval number given to health foods by the State Administration for Market Regulation, which is equivalent to the "compliance ID card" of health foods. As long as the product claims health functions, such as "enhancing immunity," "relieving visual fatigue," and "assisting in lowering blood lipids," it must go through the health food approval process and obtain the Blue Hat before it can be sold on the market. For example, on the vitamin C tablets you buy at the drugstore that are mainly for "improving immunity," you will definitely find the blue hat logo and the corresponding National Food Health Registration Number on the bottle. If not, it is illegal propaganda.

When many people go to the supermarket, they have seen many gummies and effervescent tablets labeled as "vitamin supplements" and "probiotics added". Such products do not have any health function claims. The ingredients and production standards meet the requirements of ordinary food. They are dietary supplements of ordinary food. They are fully compliant without applying for a blue hat. When I was helping a friend with product compliance consultation a while ago, I came across a brand of collagen peptide drink. I originally wanted to apply for a blue hat claim to "improve skin moisture", but later it was calculated that the application period would be 18 months and the cost would be nearly 400,000. However, their product positioning is only a daily nutritional supplement, and there is no need to make any efficacy claims. They just went online in 3 months through regular food registration, which is much more cost-effective.

As for the dietary supplements that everyone often buys from overseas, the rules are different. According to our country’s cross-border e-commerce regulatory regulations, dietary supplements produced overseas do not need to apply for domestic blue hat qualifications as long as they comply with the production and sales standards of the country of origin and are declared and entered through formal bonded warehouses. A fan asked me to verify whether the imported infant DHA she bought without the blue cap was a fake. I checked that it was a compliant product registered with the US FDA and shipped through regular cross-border channels. It can be given to children with confidence.

Regarding the necessity of blue hats, there have been different voices in the industry. Many consumers feel that "dietary supplements without Blue Hat are unreliable". After all, Blue Hat's approval process requires safety and functional verification, and the quality control threshold is higher. ； However, many practitioners in the nutrition industry feel that ordinary dietary supplements only supplement nutrients that are insufficient in daily dietary intake and do not need to make additional efficacy claims. Forcing all products to apply for a blue hat will actually raise the industry threshold and push up the terminal selling price, which is not conducive to consumers.

In fact, for ordinary consumers, there is no need to regard blue hat as the only criterion for judging the quality of dietary supplements. If you buy dietary supplements for specific health benefits, then you are right to give priority to those with blue hats. At least its efficacy claims have been verified by regulatory authorities. ； If you just need daily supplements such as vitamin D and lutein to make up for the gap in dietary intake, then choose regular food products with clean ingredient lists and content that meet the dietary nutrient reference intake, even without blue hats, it is completely sufficient.