Australian sports icons call for clearer labels in $6.3bn supplement market

Two former Australian athletes, Olympic gold medallist Duncan Armstrong and Ironman legend Guy Leech, have publicly criticised the country's $6.3bn supplement industry for its opaque labeling and profit-focused product range. They argue that older consumers, who represent the largest user group, are forced to navigate a maze of separate bottles for joint, heart, brain, sleep and energy support, often without knowing the actual doses of active ingredients.

Under current Therapeutic Goods Administration rules, manufacturers can list proprietary blends without disclosing precise quantities, a practice Leech calls a "smokescreen." The pair also pointed out that most supplements are sold as AUST L products, a lower-risk category that bypasses rigorous efficacy testing, unlike the stricter AUST R classification. Their warnings are reinforced by data showing that over half of Australians aged 75+ use supplements daily, and by medical alerts about possible interactions with prescription drugs.

Leech founded the brand NEXT50 to offer a single, once-daily powder for adults over 50, but says the issue extends across the entire market. They call for mandatory transparency as a baseline, not a premium feature.