Half of All Supplements Contain Hidden Animal Products, New Report Finds

If you are trying to avoid animal products in your food, drink and supplements, you may be in for a shock. Your daily supplements may not be as vegan-friendly as you think, according to a new report. The Transparent Label Campaign just released a report finding that 50 percent of dietary supplements contain animal-derived ingredients. Released jointly by supplement brand Terraseed and animal protection organization Animal Save Movement, the new research highlights how major supplement companies' products may lack ingredient transparency.

The report claims that over 24 billion animal deaths can be attributed to supplement production every year. While researching the $55 billion supplement industry, the report authors discovered that supplement companies typically do not mark animal-derived ingredients on their products.

“A lot of consumers don’t know that common ingredients such as gelatin or magnesium stearate are made with the fat, bones, and tendons of pigs, cows, and chickens,” Founder of Terraseed and the Transparent Label Campaign Maria Cebrian told VegNews. “More than half of supplements on the US market contain at least one animal-derived ingredient. For example, a lot of capsules and soft gels are made with gelatin.”

The report authors partnered with industry experts, the US National Institute of Health [NIH] Office of Dietary Supplements, and several animal rights groups. After surveying over 79,000 supplements from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database, the authors found five common animal-derived supplement ingredients including magnesium stearate, gelatin, Vitamin D from sheep’s wool, omega-3s from fish, and bee pollen.

Ingredients such as Vitamin D and omega-3s may have plant-based sources, but the report claims that the majority of companies defer to conventional animal-based ingredients. The campaign notes that the two most common animal-based ingredients –  magnesium stearate and gelatin – require 18 million cows, sheep, and pigs.

The supplement industry impacts fish more than any other animal by a significant margin. The study estimates that animal-based supplement production kills 24 billion per year, mostly to produce fish oil for omega-3s. The report notes that fishing-related pollution plays a huge role in the industry’s negative environmental impacts, claiming that supplement companies produce 1.8 billion plastic bottles every year.

“Fishes are killed in massive numbers to produce supplements,” Cebrian said. “It actually takes up to 100 fish to create a single bottle of fish oil supplements. If that wasn’t bad enough, 54 million plastic supplement bottles also end up in the ocean, damaging marine ecosystems and killing millions of marine animals.”

Despite the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 that restricts supplement manufacturers and distributors' ability to misbrand or mislead customers, the supplement industry faces minimal oversight from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The report's authors claim that the FDA rarely inspects supplement facilities and requires no sourcing standards on vitamin labels. In short, the supplement industry can easily circumvent full disclosure, potentially misleading consumers without the proper information.

The Transparent Label Campaign is supported by BeVeg, SEED (Strategies for Ethical and Environmental Development), Social Compassion in Legislation, and Naturally Boulder. The campaign released a petition that calls on the FDA to double down on the label requirements for dietary supplement products to improve transparency across the entire industry.

“To stop animal suffering in the supplement industry, all key players need to take responsibility: supplement companies, the FDA, and also consumers,” Cebrian said. “We all need to join forces to bring more transparency to an old-fashioned and opaque industry and start talking about our responsibility to this planet and its animals.”

This campaign joins a growing movement to encourage the FDA to improve labeling standards. Last month, Ethical Inc Founder Obi Obadike told Nutrition Insight that the supplement industry is in desperate need of more oversight. The founder claimed that without transparency and more regulation, consumers “have no idea what they are taking and what potential harm could be to them.”

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You may think iron is synonymous with meat, and while animal protein certainly has it, that doesn’t mean you can’t get enough iron if you eat a mainly plant-based diet. In fact, you can, if you know the right foods to choose and how to pair them. The daily recommendation from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for iron intake is 18 milligrams (mg), but not all iron sources are created equal. Here’s what plant-based eaters need to know about iron and which iron-rich foods are best to help reap the benefits.

1 cup cooked = 3 mg iron (17% daily value (DV))\There are many reasons to eat mushrooms on the regular, but their meaty texture (try a Portobello cap as a meat replacement for a burger!) and ample protein are two of the highlights. Add them to your stir-fry, tacos, or even instead of meat in a faux Bolognese sauce.

1/2 cup = 3 mg iron (17% DV)You don’t need to eat a huge serving of lentils to get a hearty dose of iron. Just a half-cup provides close to 20% of the iron you need in a day. Just like mushrooms, lentils have a meaty texture that works well in burgers, tacos, or grain bowls.

1 medium potato = 2 mg iron (11% DV)The poor potato has gotten such a bad rap. Fear of this carb-rich spud is unwarranted because it’s actually an affordable and delicious source of iron and potassium. So go ahead and have that hash, baked potato, or potato soup and leave the skin on for some added fiber.

1 ounce = 2 mg iron (11% DV)Most nuts contain iron, but cashews are a standout because they have less fat than some of the other nuts. One ounce of cashews (about 16 to 18 nuts) has 160 calories, 5 grams of protein, and 13 grams of fat. Add a handful of cashews to smoothies, soups, or sauces for some extra creaminess.

½ cup = 3 mg (15% DV)Not only does tofu have plenty of protein and calcium, but it’s also a good source of iron. It’s very versatile and takes on the flavor of any sauce or marinade, making it a great meat substitute.Keep in mind that you can easily get the iron you need from a plant-based diet.