17.02.2020 Marketing and PR
Dietary Supplements. How to Distinguish Information from Marketing
Ewa Zygadło-Kozaczuk
Where can you find reliable information about dietary supplements, and how can you distinguish factual information from advertising? The answer is not straightforward. In fact, additional doubts arise.
Poczytaj artykuł
What is supplementation? Do I need it? If so, what vitamins, trace elements, or other substances does my body need? What about my child’s needs? Or my friend’s, who is very active in sports?
The initial conclusions drawn from these questions are as follows:
- supplementation should be individualized, following consultation with a specialist,
- incorrectly chosen supplements may lead to additional health problems, especially for people who take medication regularly or those who consume too many supplements at high doses,
- use dietary supplements wisely only when needed, or avoid them entirely if they may negatively impact your health.
How can we practically apply these recommendations? This is no easy task, especially as we are constantly bombarded by ads for miracle products for weight loss, better sleep, well-being, good digestion, and many other conditions.
Let’s try to navigate through this maze of marketing messages and find reliable information about dietary supplements. What should we know to use these products safely? This brings up several important questions:
- Is a given dietary supplement approved for use in Poland?
- Does the manufacturer meet the standards that guarantee product quality?
- Is the chosen supplement safe for me, and is its use beneficial?
We can answer the first question by consulting the Main Sanitary Inspectorate register. In the register, we’ll find basic information about dietary supplements, such as the product name, form, qualitative composition, the name of the entity that markets the supplement, GIS’s administrative decisions, and additional notes (e.g., if the product is banned from sale).
Consulting the register thus allows us to take the first important step: determining whether a supplement is legally on the Polish market.
The answer to the second question about the manufacturer and product quality is more complicated. The GIS register will tell us who the manufacturer is, but we won’t know whether the product quality is satisfactory or if product x or y with a similar composition is preferable.
To help answer these questions, there is the Suplindex – dietary supplements service. It is the first information and educational program in Poland that organizes the dietary supplement market based on current knowledge. Although the materials on the site are provided by dietary supplement manufacturers, they contain valuable information that is difficult to find on other platforms.
All products listed in the Suplindex catalog have been submitted to the Main Sanitary Inspectorate and successfully completed the notification process. This means they are approved for sale in Poland. They are marked as follows:

Another key piece of information in Suplindex is whether the dietary supplement was produced according to a safety standard. The manufacturer must prove that additional, non-mandatory safety standards were implemented during production and distribution. The "Confirmed Manufacturing Standard" mark is based on voluntary certification undergone by the manufacturer, and the quality and value of documents are verified by Suplindex specialists:

The last, very important label that may appear with dietary supplements in the Suplindex catalog is the “supplement with research” designation:

This label helps consumers assess product quality. The manufacturer has subjected the product to independent testing and implemented quality standards that confirm the composition aligns with the values declared on the packaging. The tests must be conducted by independent, accredited laboratories to confirm the supplement’s safety.
One downside of Suplindex is that not all supplements available on the Polish market and listed in the GIS register are included in the catalog. This is because not all manufacturers choose to include their supplements in the catalog and undergo verification. However, those who do gain credibility.
Besides Suplindex, information about supplements, their quality, and uses can also be obtained in pharmacies. This is especially relevant for manufacturers who have been on the market for years and prioritize educating pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, providing them with detailed information on supplement composition, quality, and dosage.
Speaking of pharmacists, we would also like to mention the blog by Zosia Winczewska and her mini guide on the most commonly used supplements. The content in this guide is written in an accessible way, and its practical tips help users choose the right dietary supplement.
By relying on the knowledge of pharmacists, doctors, and other specialists, we can therefore answer the third question posed in this article: Is the selected dietary supplement safe for me, and is its use beneficial?
Unfortunately, there is no comprehensive source of information in Poland on supplementation and dietary supplements available in pharmacies and beyond. No portals are dedicated to supplement safety where we could find complete information about these products—from registration to testing and safe use. Information about dietary supplements often mixes with advertising, and we constantly hear advice about the importance of supplementation.
Therefore, the sources of information mentioned in this article are only guideposts through the maze of advertising and sponsored content. We hope they help to somewhat organize the information chaos, and that equipped with knowledge from the GIS register, Suplindex, and Zosia Winczewska’s blog, we will have a clearer view of the need to purchase a dietary supplement or decide to skip another "miracle product." At the same time, it would be wise to reevaluate our diet, increase physical activity, reduce stress, and spend more time with family and friends. Then we might find that no supplementation is needed at all.
Also read:
COMMERCIAL BREAK
New articles in section Marketing and PR
When Will Every Advertisement Become... a Store? Omdia Forecasts
KFi
Global consumer spending online is growing at an unprecedented rate. By 2025, it will reach $4.4 trillion, with the US alone accounting for $1.4 trillion. The boundaries between advertising, entertainment, and commerce are blurring, ushering in a new era of digital consumption.
What to Do When a Child Bites Nails? Advice from a Child Psychologist
patronat Reporterzy.info
For children, nail-biting is often a way to cope with boredom or stress. However, our role is to intervene when we notice this habit, not only for aesthetic reasons but also to address potential underlying causes. What might these be, and what can we do?
Predictive Analytics in Ads. Customer Doesn’t Know Yet, But Ad Does
Krzysztof Fiedorek
Artificial intelligence is changing the rules of marketing. Predicting customer behaviors through advanced AI algorithms and making data-driven decisions is already the present. The report "The State of AI," published by McKinsey, shows the impact this will have on the advertising and marketing industry.
See articles on a similar topic:
Why Influencer Marketing Works? Newspoint Report
BARD
For over 70% of consumers, content created by influencers is the primary source of product information. It’s the fastest-growing method for companies to acquire new customers. In three years, the global influencer marketing industry could be worth as much as $10 billion, according to the "Analytics and Influencer Monitoring" report by Newspoint.
Polish Digital Advertising Market 2023/2024. IAB Poland Report
Krzysztof Fiedorek
The Strategic Internet Report 2023/2024 prepared by IAB Poland provides a detailed analysis of the Polish digital advertising market, showing its dynamic growth in 2023. The market value reached nearly 7.8 billion PLN, indicating an increase of over 870 million PLN compared to the previous year.
Short Social Video. IAB Poland Report on Short Videos in Social Media
Krzysztof Fiedorek
According to the IAB Poland report from May 2024, short video clips are becoming increasingly popular in Poland. In 2023, 61% of internet users in Poland watched the format known as short social video, and 23% of them created such videos themselves. Polish internet users spend an average of 43 minutes a day watching them.
Contextual Advertising in Print Media. PBC Measured Its Effectiveness
BARD
Print advertising, when placed in the appropriate editorial context, attracts 67% more attention than ads in other sections, according to research conducted for Polskie Badania Czytelnictwa (PBC). Contextual ads hold the reader’s gaze longer and engage them more deeply.