Vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO: three of the most common badges on supplement packaging, and three very different kinds of claim. One of them has a federal regulation behind it with a defined threshold. The other two rest on definitions set by private certifiers or by the brand itself. Knowing which is which tells you how much verification each claim deserves - and how to do it.
Gluten-free: the claim with a federal rule
"Gluten-free" is the one dietary-preference claim with an actual FDA regulation. Under the rule, any food or dietary supplement labeled gluten-free must contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten, and it cannot contain an ingredient derived from wheat, rye or barley unless that ingredient has been processed to remove gluten below the threshold. The rule covers voluntary claims - a company chooses to say gluten-free, but once it does, the claim must meet the federal standard. If avoiding gluten matters to you, also scan the ingredient list and the Other Ingredients line for wheat-derived excipients, and favor products that state the claim outright over ones that merely stay silent about gluten.
Vegan: no federal definition, so check the parts
There is no FDA regulation defining "vegan" on a supplement. The word means whatever the brand or its private certifier says it means. The practical way to verify it yourself is to check the places animal ingredients actually hide: the capsule shell (gelatin is animal-derived; cellulose-based shells are plant-derived), vitamin D3 (often lanolin-derived, which most vegans accept, but lichen-derived is the fully plant version), magnesium stearate (can come from either plant or animal sources), and any dairy- or egg-derived excipients on the Other Ingredients line. A recognized third-party vegan certification logo adds a real audit on top of the brand's word; the word "vegan" alone is the brand's word only.
Non-GMO: a label claim with private verification behind it
"Non-GMO" sits between the other two. No FDA labeling rule defines it for supplements the way the gluten-free rule defines that claim, but it is not a free-for-all either: well-known third-party verification programs publish their own standards and audit products against them, and USDA organic certification prohibits GMO ingredients, so an organic seal indirectly covers GMO status for the certified ingredients. A non-GMO statement anchored in one of those programs carries that program's audit behind it; an unanchored statement is the brand's own claim, which under FTC rules must still be truthful and substantiated even though you cannot inspect the evidence from the label alone. When it matters to you, ask the company what backs the claim.
A quick verification ladder
- Read the claim, then find the anchor. Federal rule (gluten-free), third-party seal (vegan, non-GMO), or brand statement alone?
- Scan the panel and the Other Ingredients line for the ingredients the claim excludes.
- Ask the maker when the label is silent or the claim is unanchored - a direct question by email is normal and reasonable.
Where Vitamized stands
Keep the checks product-specific, the way the labels are. Across the Vitamized shop, dietary-preference badges appear on individual product labels where they apply - our beet gummies, for example, carry gluten-free and vegan badges on the label. For the Superfood Fruit & Vegetable Capsules, the reference is the same as always: a 38 fruit and vegetable superfood blend with BioPerine, 3 capsules per serving, Made in USA, with a Non-GMO descriptor in the live listing title. Whatever the product, the panel and the badge on its own label are the verification - the product page shows both for this one.
Keep reading
- Capsule Shells: Gelatin, Vegetarian and Vegan Labels Explained
- Organic Ingredients on a Blend Label: What the Claims Mean
- Made in USA on a Superfood Label: What the Claim Means
