GoKawiilSupplement Industry Grew 25x Since 1994 While FDA Oversight Stayed Frozen
An investigative essay traces how the US supplement market ballooned from roughly 4,000 products worth $4 billion in 1994 to as many as 100,000 products generating nearly $73 billion annually today, all under the same regulatory framework. Under that 1994 law, manufacturers never had to prove to the FDA that their products contain what labels claim or that health claims are accurate before selling them, and the government itself bears the burden of proving a product is adulterated. FDA official Cara Welch admits the agency has no systematic way of tracking what supplements exist or what they contain.