The Federal Trade Commission sets the rules for “Made in USA.” The bar is high. To use the claim without qualifiers, all or virtually all of the product has to come from the U.S. Ingredients, processing, packaging… everything. If not, the label has to say something like “with imported ingredients” or “packaged in the USA.”
So how does that play out with supplements? Almost no products hit the all-domestic mark. Many botanicals, probiotics, and specialty minerals are sourced overseas because the infrastructure just isn’t here. That’s why you see wording like “Manufactured in an FDA-registered facility in the USA.” Translation: the blending, encapsulation, and bottling happened here, but the raw materials likely did not.
If you want to check a claim, here are a few moves:
- Read the fine print, and this website, for ingredient sourcing data and phrases like “of global ingredients.”
- Look up facility registrations in the FDA’s database.
- Ask for Certificates of Analysis to see ingredient origins and testing.
- Review past recalls to see how a brand handles compliance.
The bottom line: a U.S. facility can add some reassurance, but the real question is ingredient traceability and testing. A flag on the label doesn’t mean much if the brand won’t disclose where its raw materials come from or show the data.