[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 209 (Thursday, October 29, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 66549]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-27625]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Notice of Opportunity for Public Comment on the Dietary 
Supplement Label Database

SUMMARY: The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the National 
Institutes of Health, in partnership with the National Library of 
Medicine (NLM), has developed a Dietary Supplement Label Database 
(DSLD) that is compiling all information from the labels of dietary 
supplements marketed in the United States. ODS welcomes comments about 
features to add and functionality improvements to make so the DSLD may 
become a more useful tool to users.
    A federal stakeholder panel for the DSLD will consider all comments 
received. The ODS requests input from academic researchers, government 
agencies, the dietary supplement industry, and other interested 
parties, including consumers. The DSLD can be accessed online at http://dsld.nlm.nih.gov.

DATES: To ensure full consideration, all comments must be received by 
11:59 p.m. EST, November 27, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Interested individuals and organizations should submit their 
responses to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Bailen MBA, MHA., Office of 
Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health, 6100 Executive 
Boulevard, Room 3B01, Bethesda, MD 20892-7517, Phone: 301-435-2920, 
Fax: 301-480-1845, Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DSLD is a free resource that captures 
all information present on dietary supplement labels as provided by the 
seller, including contents, ingredient amounts, and any health-related 
product statements, claims, and cautions. It also provides a 
downloadable photo of each label. Users can search for and organize 
this information in various ways. Research scientists, for example, 
could use the DSLD to determine total nutrient intakes from food and 
supplements in populations they study. Health care providers can learn 
the content of products their patients are taking. Consumers might use 
the DSLD to search for and compare products of interest.
    The DSLD currently contains 50,000 labels, and it is expected to 
grow rapidly over the next three years to include most of the estimated 
75,000+ dietary supplement products sold to American consumers. The 
DSLD is updated regularly to include any formulation changes and label 
information in a product. It also includes the labels of products that 
have been discontinued and are no longer sold. More information about 
the DSLD and its current capabilities is available at http://www.dsld.nlm.nih.gov and at Dwyer et al., 2014.\1\
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    \1\ Dwyer JT, Saldanha LG, Bailen RA, et al. A free new dietary 
supplement label database for registered dietitian nutritionists. J 
Acad Nutr Diet. 2014;114(10):1512-7.
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    ODS would like would like to receive ideas and suggestions for how 
the DSLD might evolve. What features might be added, improved, or 
enhanced--for example, in capabilities related to search, sorting, 
organization, and downloading of information--that would make it a more 
valuable tool for users?

     Dated: October 23, 2015.
Lawrence A. Tabak,
Deputy Director, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2015-27625 Filed 10-28-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4140-01-P