To read a supplement label, find the daily dose first, then read each amount for that dose, the % NRV for vitamins and minerals, and how any plant extract is described. NRV means Nutrient Reference Value, a fixed daily reference amount for adults set in UK law, and a 10:1 extract is one made from ten times its weight in plant material.
Key takeaways
- Find the daily dose first. UK labels give every amount for the daily dose, often two gummies, not one.
- NRV is a reference amount, not a target or a limit. % NRV is the daily amount divided by the NRV.
- A 10:1 extract was made from ten times its weight in plant. Compare extract weight with extract weight, and plant weight with plant weight.
- "Standardised" means made to a set level of a marker compound. It describes contents, not effects.
- Read the warnings. Three are required on every UK food supplement, and pregnancy, children and medicine warnings sit beside them. Ours are for adults, not for pregnancy or breastfeeding, and our Sea Moss seaweeds carry iodine, so with a thyroid condition, speak to your doctor first.
From us: Our Sea Moss Gummies (£13.99), Ashwagandha & Lion's Mane Gummies (£16.99) and Saffron Gummies (£18.99) print every amount per two gummies on the label. The Saffron label leads with 300mg of saffron, from a 10:1 extract standardised to 3.5% crocin and safranal. All three are vegan, set with pectin not gelatine, 60 gummies for 30 days, and third-party lab tested.
Supplement label terms at a glance
| Food supplement | The legal name for a supplement sold as a food in the UK. A food, not a medicine |
| mg, mcg (µg), IU | A milligram is a thousandth of a gram, a microgram a thousandth of a milligram. For vitamin D, 1 microgram is 40 IU (International Units) |
| NRV | Nutrient Reference Value: a daily reference amount for adults, set in law for 13 vitamins and 14 minerals |
| % NRV | The amount in the daily dose as a percentage of the NRV |
| 10:1 extract | Made from ten times its weight in plant material: 10g of plant for 1g of extract |
| "Equivalent" or "from" | The weight of plant an extract was made from, not the weight of the extract |
| Standardised to X% | Made to contain a set percentage of one or more marker compounds |
What must a UK supplement label show?
The Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 set the rules, with matching rules in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. A food supplement is a concentrated source of nutrients or other substances, sold in doses such as capsules or pastilles to supplement the normal diet. The Food Standards Agency says supplements are not medicines.
A food supplement must be sold under the name "food supplement", and its label must show the nutrients or other substances that characterise the product, the daily dose, and the amount of each vitamin, mineral or other substance with a nutritional or physiological effect, in numbers, for that dose. Vitamins and minerals must also be given as % NRV. Three warnings are required:
- do not exceed the stated daily dose
- food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied diet
- store out of the reach of young children
General food law adds an ingredients list with allergens emphasised, a best before date and a business address. Government guidance says the warnings need no set wording, so labels phrase them differently.
Per serving, per gummy and the daily dose
UK law asks for amounts per daily dose. Labels made to US rules give amounts per serving, which can be one gummy or two, so check the serving and multiply: 500mg per gummy, at two a day, is 1,000mg a day. To compare prices, divide by daily doses, not by gummies, as our guide to choosing gummy vitamins shows.
What does NRV mean, and what does % NRV mean?
NRV stands for Nutrient Reference Value. NRVs are daily reference amounts for adults, set in law: 80mg for vitamin C, 375mg for magnesium and 5 micrograms for vitamin D. % NRV is the amount in the daily dose divided by the NRV, times 100, so 40mg of vitamin C is 50% NRV.
The NRV is neither a personal target nor an upper limit: the NHS says adults need 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day (200% NRV) and should not take more than 100 micrograms (4,000 IU). Magnesium is an example: its NRV is 375mg, but the upper level the EU Scientific Committee on Food set for magnesium from supplements is lower, at 250mg a day, and the NHS says 400mg or less a day from supplements is unlikely to cause any harm. Magnesium is an example: its NRV is 375mg, but the upper level the EU Scientific Committee on Food set for magnesium from supplements is lower, at 250mg a day, and the NHS says 400mg or less a day from supplements is unlikely to cause any harm. If you take more than one product, add up each nutrient across all of them.
US labels show % Daily Value (DV) instead. The US Daily Value for vitamin D is 20 micrograms, so 10 micrograms reads as 50% DV there and 200% NRV here. Herbs and plant extracts have no NRV, so labels often mark them with a symbol such as † and a note such as "NRV not established".
What does a 10:1 extract mean?
An extract is made by drawing compounds out of a plant with a solvent, such as water or alcohol. The ratio, which the European Medicines Agency calls the drug extract ratio, puts the plant first and the extract second. So 10:1 means 10g of plant for 1g of extract.
So one ingredient can be written in several ways. For a made-up Herb X:
- Herb X extract (10:1), 100mg
- Herb X 1,000mg, from 100mg of a 10:1 extract
- Herb X 1,000mg equivalent
- Herb X powder, 1,000mg
The first two describe the same 100mg of extract. The third gives only the plant weight the extract stands for. The fourth is 1,000mg of dried, ground plant, not an extract at all.
Compare like with like: extract weight with extract weight, equivalent weight with equivalent weight, and check the plant part and the ratio. The equivalent figure tells you how much plant went in, not the extract's strength, effect or contents.
Our Saffron Gummies label leads with 300mg of saffron, from a 10:1 extract standardised to 3.5% crocin and safranal. When you compare saffron products, check whether each figure is the saffron amount or the extract weight.
What does "standardised extract" mean?
A standardised extract is made to contain a set amount of one or more marker compounds: "3.5% crocin and safranal" for saffron, or "at least 5% withanolides" for KSM-66 ashwagandha root extract. It is a separate fact from the ratio, and neither tells you what the extract does. For one example in detail, see KSM-66 vs Standard Ashwagandha.
What is a proprietary blend?
A proprietary blend lists several ingredients under one name with one combined weight, such as "Botanical Blend 1,200mg". US labelling rules let a blend give its total weight and list its ingredients that have no Daily Value, such as herbs, in order of weight without each amount. UK food supplement rules ask for the amount of each vitamin, mineral or other substance with a nutritional or physiological effect in numbers. If a label gives only a blend total, you cannot tell how much of each ingredient is in it.
What is an authorised health claim?
A health claim is any wording that states, suggests or implies a link between a food, or one of its ingredients, and health. In Great Britain, a health claim must be authorised on the GB nutrition and health claims register, such as "Vitamin D contributes to the normal function of the immune system", or be on a separate government list of claims still "on hold", many of them for plants, which may go on being used under conditions until a decision is made. To use a vitamin or mineral claim, a product must contain a "significant amount" of the nutrient, and the law's rule of thumb is 15% of the NRV. Herbs such as ashwagandha and saffron have no authorised health claims. No food, supplements included, may claim to prevent, treat or cure a disease.
The warnings: read them before the first dose
Beyond the three required warnings, others come from the maker or from a voluntary agreement between government and industry, under which products with more than 10mg of vitamin B6 a day are asked to carry the line "Long term intakes of this amount of vitamin B6 may lead to mild tingling and numbness".
Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children and medicine warnings are there to be read before you start. Our three gummies are for adults and are not for use in pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Our Ashwagandha Gummies contain lion's mane, a mushroom, so they are not for anyone with a mushroom allergy. Our Sea Moss Gummies contain two seaweeds that carry iodine, and burdock root, from the daisy family: avoid them if you are allergic to seaweed or to daisy-family plants, and with a thyroid condition or thyroid medicine, speak to your doctor first. On medication or with a medical condition? Speak to your GP or pharmacist before use.
Our range
Sea Moss, Ashwagandha and Saffron Gummies
From £13.99 for 60 gummies, a 30-day supply. Vegan, set with pectin. Free UK delivery.
List prices, before any discount code, correct on 1 November 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What does NRV mean on a supplement label?
NRV stands for Nutrient Reference Value, a daily reference amount for adults set in UK law for 13 vitamins and 14 minerals. % NRV is the daily dose as a percentage of it: 40mg of vitamin C is 50% of its 80mg NRV.
Is more than 100% NRV too much?
The percentage alone does not tell you, because the NRV is a reference amount, not an upper limit. For vitamin D, the NHS says adults need 10 micrograms a day, 200% of the NRV, and should not take more than 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) a day. Limits differ by nutrient, so add up each one across every product you take, and ask a pharmacist if unsure.
What does 10:1 extract mean?
A 10:1 extract was made from ten times its weight in plant material, so 100mg of it came from about 1,000mg of plant. Labels may show the extract weight, the plant-equivalent weight or both, so compare like with like. The equivalent figure is not a measure of strength or effect.
What is a proprietary blend?
A proprietary blend is a group of ingredients listed under one name with one combined weight. US rules let a blend give its total weight and list its herbs in order of weight, without each amount. UK food supplement rules ask for the amount of each substance with a nutritional or physiological effect in numbers.
What warnings must a UK supplement label have?
In the UK, a food supplement must be sold under the name "food supplement", which means it is sold as a food, not a medicine. Its label must also show the daily dose, a warning not to exceed it, a statement that supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet, and a statement to keep the product out of reach of young children. Makers often add pregnancy, breastfeeding and medicine warnings, which are there to be read before the first dose.
References
- The Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003, SI 2003/1387, regulations 2 and 6 (as amended). legislation.gov.uk.
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers (as it applies in Great Britain), Articles 7, 9 and 21 and Annex XIII. legislation.gov.uk.
- Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods (as it applies in Great Britain), Articles 2 and 10. legislation.gov.uk.
- Department of Health and Social Care. "Guidance notes on legislation implementing Directive 2002/46/EC on food supplements." Updated 2 November 2021. gov.uk.
- Department of Health. "Food supplements: label advisory statements and suggested reformulations." September 2011. gov.uk.
- Food Standards Agency. "Food supplements." Published 2 July 2018. gov.uk.
- Department of Health and Social Care. "Great Britain nutrition and health claims (NHC) register." Last updated 19 May 2026. gov.uk.
- Department of Health and Social Care. "‘On hold’ health claims on foods." Published 31 December 2020, last updated 12 January 2021. gov.uk.
- NHS. "Vitamin D." Page last reviewed 3 August 2020. nhs.uk.
- European Medicines Agency, HMPC. "Guideline on quality of herbal medicinal products/traditional herbal medicinal products." EMA/HMPC/CHMP/CVMP/201116/2005 Rev. 3, 18 January 2022.
- European Medicines Agency, HMPC. "Guideline on declaration of herbal substances and herbal preparations in herbal medicinal products/traditional herbal medicinal products." EMA/HMPC/CHMP/CVMP/287539/2005 Rev.1, 11 March 2010.
- US Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR 101.36, "Nutrition labeling of dietary supplements", and 21 CFR 101.9, "Nutrition labeling of food". ecfr.gov.
- Scientific Committee on Food. "Opinion of the Scientific Committee on Food on the Tolerable Upper Intake Level of Magnesium." European Commission, 26 September 2001.
- NHS. "Vitamins and minerals: Others." Page last reviewed 3 August 2020. nhs.uk.
Food supplements are not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult a healthcare professional before use.
