The Vitamin Shoppe Works with Vendors to Encourage Product ingredient Transparency

NORTH BERGEN, N.J., July 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Vitamin Shoppe^®, a leading health and wellness retailer, is at the forefront of product ingredient transparency for dietary supplements. The Vitamin Shoppe currently submits all labels for its proprietary dietary supplements to the Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD) created by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (http://www.dsld.nlm.nih.gov/dsld/).  By doing so, the Vitamin Shoppe is providing customers with important product information so that they can make an informed decision about their dietary supplement purchases.

The database is a collaborative project of the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) and National Library of Medicine (NLM) at NIH, with input from many federal stakeholders.  The database contains the full label contents, including the Supplement Facts panel, directions for use, health-related claims and any cautions, from approximately 30,000 dietary supplement products marketed in the United States.  The database allows consumers to compare and choose products based on criteria they view as important, such as ingredient, strength and product claims.  Labels from 1,000 additional products are added each month.

The Vitamin Shoppe announced today that by end of 2015 the Company expects all of its dietary supplement vendors to submit their product labels to the DSLD and will request certification by the vendor that the label has been submitted to the DSLD.

"Consumers desire and value product transparency, and the Vitamin Shoppe is leading the initiative to provide consumers with the information they want," commented Tony Truesdale, CEO, the Vitamin Shoppe. "We are asking our dietary supplement vendors to join us in providing their product labels to the National Institutes of Health Dietary Supplement Label Database."

Steve Mister, President and CEO of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, of which the Vitamin Shoppe is a member, commented on the announcement stating, "This action by the Vitamin Shoppe is representative of a company choosing to go above and beyond what is required by law to demonstrate its commitment to transparency and putting consumers first."

About the Vitamin Shoppe (NYSE: VSI)

At the Vitamin Shoppe, every body matters™ is much more than just a tagline – it's our mantra as we are dedicated to making the world a healthier place, one life at a time. Many consumers are surprised to discover that the Vitamin Shoppe offers so much more than just vitamins. As one of America's leading health and wellness brands we've got over 20,000 products to choose from, including vitamins, minerals, herbs, sports nutrition, homeopathic remedies, green living, beauty aids and more. Most importantly, we are committed to quality, knowledge and safety so you can always have trust in the products we sell. 

The high-quality standards of the Vitamin Shoppe are reflected in the development of our own exclusive product lines, such as the Vitamin Shoppe, NEXT STEP^®, BodyTech^® and plnt™. No matter where you may be on your wellness journey, come visit us at one of our more than 600 Vitamin Shoppe stores across the country or online at VitaminShoppe.com – where every body matters.

(NYSE: VSI)

SOURCE The Vitamin Shoppe