Where is the Calcium in our Calcium Supplements Coming From?

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have made many changes to help with the safety of Americans with ever changing times. The labeling on our everyday foods, drugs, and cosmetics help United States citizens understand what they are using/eating, the ingredients inside of the product, and some of the safety concerns they should have. However, labeling on a box of cereal is much different than a label you might see on a bottle of Bayer Aspirin or on a piece of fruit. The box of cereal may have just the nutrition facts and the ingredients, but a drug product in the United States must pass through rigorous review, including specific word usage, where words are placed, the size and color of the font, and much more. Labeling on many U.S. drugs and foods do not contain where the food/active ingredients come from. Why is it that one can pick up a banana at the supermarket and see on a sticker that it is a product of Columbia, but looking at a supplement bottle from a drug store will not reveal the same results? The fact that labeling on drugs in the United States is so much more regulated then other food products shows how important of a safety concern drugs are in the U.S., and how much of a potential harm they can cause to the public. I propose that drug labels should include the source of its active ingredients for the safety of the public and for the prevention of toxic disease outbreaks. United States citizens reserve the right to know where the active ingredients of drugs are coming from. This means both the region of the world and what it was extracted from. This information needs to be readily available for both consumers and federal officials for three main reasons. The drug industry in the United States has not been overseen by the FDA properly and is evident in many studies and recalls across the country showing contamination in drug products. Contamination in drug products can be a precursor to disease outbreaks causing nation-wide health problems. If products from a specific region have been contaminated across the globe, it would be easier to stop the outbreak by informing the public of this regions contamination and to stay away from drugs with active ingredients from that region than if the active ingredients source were not on the label. Second, it is the right of American citizens to know where the active ingredients are from. For example, a vegan individual has the right to know whether or not an active ingredient is extracted from an animal. The third reason why it is important to know where the active ingredients for a drug product are from is because this influences the consumer’s choice. On many clothing products made in the United States, you can find a big “MADE IN USA” with an American flag next to it. Most people in the U.S. are more inclined to buy products from the U.S., and therefore, this could lead to a boost in the downward economy. Certain studies have shown that there is a true connection between domestically produced products and how U.S. citizens favor buying them. Country of Origin Labeling laws (COOL) already require certain products to have on the label where they are from, but drug products are not included in these laws. Since drug products can reach as high or higher population amounts than these food products, it should be just as important, if not more important, to understand where the active ingredients are coming from.