How do you read a supplement label in South Africa?

What must a South African food label show?

Under R146 (the Regulations Relating to the Labelling and Advertising of Foodstuffs, in force as of October 2026), a sports food label must carry:

• Product name and ingredient list
• Allergen declaration (milk, soy and others)
• Net quantity in metric units
• Name and South African address of the manufacturer or importer
• Country of origin
• Batch number and date marking
• A nutrition table, per 100 g and per serving, when any nutrition claim is made

Draft regulations R3337 propose front-of-pack warnings and tighter claim rules, but they are not law and have no publication date. Products sold as health supplements (Category D) must also carry a SAHPRA disclaimer if unregistered, stating the product has not been evaluated for quality, safety or intended use.

How do you check protein?

Divide protein per serving by serving size to get protein as a percentage of the powder, then compare with the type of whey:

Isolate should sit at roughly 85-90 g per 100 g and concentrate at 70-80 g. A tub labelled isolate with a much lower figure, or a concentrate far above 80%, deserves a closer look. Some Dis-Chem product pages show the nutrition table only as an image, so protein per serving may not be in the text.

What are the red flags?

• Proprietary blends that hide individual doses; see what a proprietary blend is.
• Added free amino acids (glycine, taurine, creatine) in a "whey" product, a sign of amino spiking.
• A tiny serving size that makes a product look cheap or low in sugar.
• Disease claims or "SAHPRA approved"; see is "clinically proven" legal.
• Missing importer address or batch number.

How reliable are protein labels?

A University of Pretoria study of 70 high-protein supplements bought from SA retailers found measured protein differed significantly from the label in 68.6%; 21 held more than 10% less protein than stated, and five were 42-80% under. Brands were not named. A separate study of 15 best-selling SA whey products found 60% did not meet draft amino-acid criteria. Both are older snapshots and the draft criteria are not law, but they explain why third-party certificates of analysis matter.

How do you turn a label into a price?

Rand per 30 g of protein = price divided by (servings in the tub x protein per serving) x 30. For USN BlueLab 1 kg at R689: about 31 servings x 23.6 g = roughly 737 g protein, so about R28 per 30 g. For other supplements, use the dose that matters: R per 5 g creatine, R per 10 g collagen. See how to compare prices per serving.

What about allergens and sweeteners?

Whey contains milk; isolate is low in lactose but not milk-free. Sweeteners (sucralose, acesulfame-K, stevia) are listed by name in the ingredients. If a label does not state a sweetener, the retailer page may still list one, so read the physical pack too. Compare tubs in our best whey protein guide.

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