One of the country's most respected health care companies, U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), announced that it will issue approval seals for dietary supplements that meet the medical group's requirements. For years, dietary supplements have been exempt from Federal regulation. Formulas are sold with little evidence that they are safe or effective.

A recent UCLA study tested twelve brands of dietary supplements and found that most did not contain the amount of ingredients shown on their labels. The USP program will not evaluate the safety or effectiveness of supplements; rather, researchers will simply determine whether the products sold to consumers contain what their labels claim. USP officials say that researchers will test products and visit supplement labs before awarding the seal. Critics of the new program warn that in only testing the accuracy of the label, USP's program will give consumers "a false sense of security."