The Things We’re Not Allowed to Say

(A Short Guide to Staying Out of Trouble in New Zealand)

Let’s clear something up.

If you’ve ever read a supplement label and thought,
“Why are they talking like that?”
It’s because in New Zealand, we are legally required to or we could get crushed.

There is a long and very serious list of things we are not allowed to say. Even if they’re debated in research. Even if overseas doctors discuss them. Even if you’ve seen bold headlines elsewhere.

So here it is — the Sacred Health Non-Saying List.

❌ We Can’t Say Our Supplements Treat Disease

Not cancer.
Not heart disease.
Not autoimmune conditions.
Not viral infections.
Not chronic illness.

Even if nutrients are being researched in those areas.

If it sounds like treatment, management, prevention, or therapy — we can’t say it.

❌ We Can’t Say “This Improves Outcomes”

Outcomes belong to medicines. And medicines belong to big pharma and...
We sell supplements.

Even if research explores correlations between nutrient status and health patterns, we cannot present that as proof of therapeutic effect.

❌ We Can’t Say “Use This During Treatment”

No “adjunct”.
No “protocol”.
No “clinical support strategy”.

Once something enters the realm of serious disease management, it becomes medicine territory. And medicine territory is tightly regulated. You can do your own research on who those regulators are and how they are funded.

❌ We Can’t Say “This Will Fix It”

No healing language.
No guarantees.
No promises.

If a statement creates the impression that a supplement changes the course of a disease — it’s off limits.

❌ We Can’t Hide Behind a Disclaimer

We can’t say something bold and then whisper:

“Not medical advice.”

New Zealand regulators assess the overall impression.
If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck, adding a footnote doesn’t turn it into a chicken.

Why the Rules Exist

Because without them, so the argument goes, the supplement industry would become the Wild West.

The Medicines Act, the Fair Trading Act, and the ASA Advertising Codes exist to protect consumers from exaggerated medical claims. Phew, we can all rest easy.

And frankly? That’s a reasonable ambition.

No one wants a world where every capsule claims to cure everything. Or untested experimental products can be unleashed on the world without accountability and constraint...right? 

So What Can We Say?

We can talk about:

• Nutrients supporting normal immune function

• Maintaining healthy vitamin levels

• Contributing to bone and muscle health

• General wellbeing

We can discuss research — carefully.
We can explore scientific debate — responsibly.
We can encourage testing and informed decisions.

But we must stay firmly in the land of “supports normal function.”

Not “treats serious disease.”

What Happens If We Don’t Follow the Rules?

Best case:
An ASA complaint and a polite but public correction.

Worse case:
Commerce Commission investigation, fines under the Fair Trading Act, mandatory removal of content, and reputational damage that spreads faster than the original article.

So yes — wording matters.

The Reality

There is often a gap between what academic researchers debate and what supplement companies are legally permitted to advertise.

That gap isn’t hypocrisy.

It’s compliance.

And while we may sometimes sound careful, measured, and annoyingly precise — it’s because we choose to operate inside the law.

Not around it.