The State Administration for Market Regulation ("SAMR") has recently formulated and issued the Guide to Warning Language Displayed on Dietary Supplements (the "Guide"), with effect from January 1, 2020.
The Guide provides that the warning language that "dietary supplements are not drugs and cannot be used as alternatives to drugs to treat disease" should be printed and displayed in bold type on the main side of the smallest package (or container) for sale and occupy at least 20% of the area of such side. Also, the Guide requires that the expiration date should be clearly indicated, in the form of "Best Before MM/DD/YYYY", in a prominent position on the labels of dietary supplements, so as to make the expiration date clear at a glance and enable consumers to make options conveniently, which is a means for enterprises to fulfill their primary responsibilities. Furthermore, the Guide warns that consumers need to identify whether the dietary supplements are labeled with the blue-hat-shaped dietary supplement marks and the approval document numbers for such dietary supplements and pay close attention to requirements and contraindication stated on the label instructions, adding that if consumers have any doubt about the quality or safety of the dietary supplements they buy, or come across any dietary supplements whose efficacy is overstated or which are alleged to have curative effects, they should timely dial the hotline 12315 to lodge complaints and submit reports.