The front of a supplement tub may promise impressive results, but the real story is often on the back. Here’s why South African consumers should pay closer attention to ingredients, serving sizes and doses.
A supplement tub can make an impressive first impression. Bold ingredient names, performance promises and eye-catching numbers dominate the front of the pack.
But if you really want to know what you are buying, it pays to turn the tub around.
The ingredient list and nutritional information can tell you far more about a product than its marketing claims – including which active ingredients it contains, how much of each you are getting and how large a serving actually is.
South African sports and performance nutrition company Nutritional Performance Labs (NPL) believes consumers should be able to find this information easily and use it to make informed purchasing decisions.
Its philosophy is simple: the front of the pack should match the back.
1. Look beyond the ingredient name
Seeing a particular ingredient listed on the front of a product does not necessarily tell you how much of it you are getting.
Two supplements can contain the same ingredient but in very different quantities. That means comparing ingredient names alone can be misleading.
The amount provided per serving is therefore just as important as the ingredient itself.
“Consumers have become far more informed about what goes into their bodies, but supplement labels can still be intimidating,” says Stephen van den Berg, Executive Head at NPL.
“Our view is that people should not need specialist knowledge to work out what they are buying. The ingredient, the dose and the purpose should be clear enough for the customer to assess the product for themselves.”
NPL’s approach is based on what it describes as an open-label philosophy, with active ingredients and their quantities clearly disclosed rather than relying on vague terminology.
2. Check the dose – not just the claims
When comparing supplements, the dose per serving is one of the most useful pieces of information on the label.
An ingredient may be prominently featured in the marketing, but the quantity included can give you a better understanding of what the product actually contains.
“There is a big difference between saying an ingredient is present and giving the consumer enough information to determine how much of it they are actually getting,” says van den Berg.
“If a product makes an ingredient central to its proposition, the amount included should be easy to find.”
This is particularly relevant when comparing sports and performance supplements containing ingredients such as creatine, amino acids, caffeine, electrolytes and vitamins.
The same principle applies beyond sports nutrition. Whether you are buying a protein powder, vitamin supplement or another nutritional product, understanding the amount provided per serving gives you a more meaningful basis for comparison.
3. Check the serving size
There is another number that is easy to overlook: how much the manufacturer considers to be one serving.
A product may appear to offer a particular amount of an ingredient, but you need to check whether that figure applies to one scoop, several capsules or another specified serving size.
This is important when comparing prices, too.
A cheaper tub is not necessarily better value if you need to take a larger quantity to get the same amount per serving as another product.
NPL believes consumers should consider what they are getting for their money rather than simply comparing the price or size of the container.
“People compare prices down to the rand, but what you are getting per serving is just as important,” says van den Berg.
“Once consumers start looking at doses rather than simply counting ingredients, they are in a much stronger position to judge the product in front of them.”
4. Ask whether the formulation supports the claims
Marketing language can make a product sound impressive, but the label provides an opportunity to look more closely at what is actually inside.
Consumers can ask themselves a few straightforward questions:
- What are the active ingredients?
- How much of each ingredient is provided per serving?
- How large is the recommended serving?
- Do the quantities listed support the claims being made about the product?
- Is the information clear enough to understand what you are buying?
An extensive ingredient list can create the impression of a highly sophisticated formulation, but more ingredients do not automatically mean a better product.
The quantities matter.
A fashionable or well-known ingredient should not be allowed to do all the work in the marketing while consumers are left uncertain about how much is actually included.
5. Make label reading part of your buying routine
For consumers, learning how to read supplement labels does not have to mean becoming an expert in sports nutrition or chemistry.
It can simply mean developing the habit of turning the product around and checking the information before buying it.
For NPL, this is part of encouraging what it calls a ‘know your label’ approach – helping consumers become more discerning about the products they purchase and the claims they encounter.
The company believes greater transparency should become an expected standard across the supplement sector.
Over the past decade, NPL has built its position in South African performance nutrition. Its focus on open ingredient disclosure is now being positioned as part of a wider conversation about consumer understanding and transparency.
“Trust should be something a nutrition brand can demonstrate,” says van den Berg.
“The label gives us the opportunity to do that. Our responsibility is to make sure the information is clear, the doses are disclosed and the claims are supported by what is actually in the product.”
The label is where the real information begins
Whether you are buying a sports supplement, protein powder, vitamins or another nutritional product, the front of the pack is designed to attract your attention.
The back can help you decide whether the product deserves it.
Checking the active ingredients, dosage and serving size takes only a few moments, but it can give you a much clearer picture of what you are paying for.
For South African consumers, becoming more confident label readers means less guesswork – and more information on which to base a purchasing decision.
The next time you pick up a supplement, turn the tub around. The small print may tell you more than the big claims on the front.
