Scientists at the US Food and Drug Administration's Office of Dietary Supplement Programs have published a perspective paper on the manufacturing and testing of gummy dietary supplements, setting out formulation, manufacturing and testing challenges specific to the format. The paper, by Haijing Hu, Benjamin Redan, Mary Dawn Celiz, Rahul Pawar and Betsy Jean Yakes, appeared in the Journal of Dietary Supplements on 17 September 2026 (DOI 10.1080/19390211.2026.2727022) and was reported by the trade publication NutraIngredients on 7 October. The authors raise the accuracy of the ingredient amounts declared on labels, the degradation of some ingredients when the gummy base is heated, the difficulty of running analytical tests on a sticky finished product, and higher water activity increasing microbial susceptibility. They also state that formulation overages must be limited for safety reasons and cannot compensate for poor manufacturing practice.
A $4.88bn market, and no new FDA requirements
The perspective is not a rule, a consultation or an enforcement action, and NutraIngredients reports that the agency has proposed no new requirements alongside it. An FDA spokesperson told the publication that "while gummy supplements are a popular dosage form among consumers, they should not be treated simply as candy", and the paper itself states that "there is no single perfect gummy base for all applications". The same report cites SPINS figures of more than $4.88bn in US supplement gummy sales in the 52 weeks to 6 September, up from $4.48bn in 2025 and $3.88bn in 2024.
What this means for your supplement routine
Separately, NOW Foods published testing in August 2026 of vitamin C gummies bought on Amazon. Of the 25 non-legacy brands it tested, 13 met their stated vitamin C content and 12 contained almost no detectable vitamin C, which is the 48% failure rate the company reported; a further four products were projected to fall below label potency before their stated shelf life. Testing used HPLC at Alkemist Labs, an ISO 17025-accredited laboratory, alongside NOW's in-house analysis. NOW sells gummies itself, so this is a manufacturer's own marketplace testing rather than a regulator's survey, and the five established brands it included all passed. Perqen stocks NOW Foods products. Both items concern the US market, and neither is an MHRA or Food Standards Agency action; no product sold in Great Britain or Northern Ireland has been named or withdrawn on the strength of either.
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This article reports published news and research and is for information only. Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet or medical care, and no product mentioned is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Speak to your GP or pharmacist before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking prescribed medicines.