The FDA approves that ingredients are “safe” to consume but the label is often used to imply the FDA has approved the ingredient for whatever health claim the manufacturer has attached to the supplement.
It is a boogeyman term not because of what it actually means but how it is leveraged to say something it doesn’t mean.
> The FDA approves that ingredients are “safe” to consume
Only for food and drug ingredients. The FDA has no such process for supplements. They FDA only evaluates supplement products after public health concerns arise from a product already on the market.
"FDA is not authorized to review dietary supplement products for safety and effectiveness before they are marketed.
If the dietary supplement contains a NEW ingredient, manufacturers must notify FDA about that ingredient prior to marketing. However, the notification will only be reviewed by FDA (not approved)"
> The FDA says they cannot be used this way but they are.
1. Where does the FDA say that you can't say "Made in an FDA inspected facility"?
"Made in an FDA inspected facility" is not "Made in an FDA approved facility" nor is it "Inspected by the FDA" and it's definitely not "Approved by the FDA".
2. "Someone is doing something unscrupulous on Amazon.com" Gosh. Say it ain't so.
It is a boogeyman term not because of what it actually means but how it is leveraged to say something it doesn’t mean.