Weak regulations threaten the safety of consumers from harmful weight-loss supplements globally: results from a pilot global policy scan

Abstract

Objective: To pilot a global policy scan assessing how governments worldwide regulate weight-loss supplements (WLS). Design: Experts on WLS policies from thirty countries that varied by World Bank income classification, with five from each of the six WHO regions, completed an online survey on WLS regulation in their country. The survey covered six domains: legal frameworks; pre-market requirements; claims, labelling, and advertisements; product availability; adverse events reporting; and monitoring and enforcement. Percentages were calculated for presence or absence of a type of regulation. Setting: Experts were recruited through websites of regulatory bodies and professional LinkedIn networks and scientific article searches on Google Scholar. Participants: Thirty experts, one from each country (i.e. researchers, regulators, other experts in food and drug regulation). Results: WLS regulations varied widely across countries, and a number of gaps were identified. One country (Nigeria) has a minimum legal age to purchase WLS. Thirteen countries reported independently evaluating the safety of a new WLS product sample. Two countries have limitations on where WLS can be sold. In eleven countries, reports on adverse events related to WLS are publicly available. In eighteen countries, safety of new WLS is to be established through scientific criteria. Penalties for WLS non-compliance with pre-market regulations exist in twelve countries and labelling requirements in sixteen countries. Conclusions: Results of this pilot study document wide variability in national WLS regulations globally, exposing many gaps in important components of consumer protection regulatory frameworks for WLS, which likely put consumer health at risk.