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Nutrition.gov
U.S. Department of Agriculture
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Nutrition Misinformation and Fraud

Find resources to help identify nutrition misinformation and fraudulent health claims, which provide false, incomplete, or misleading information about foods, nutrients, diets, supplements, or weight loss products. 

Featured Resources

Evaluating Internet Health Information

Man writing notes while taking an online class on computer.

This tutorial from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) explains how to evaluate online health information, including nutrition topics. 

See NLM Tutorial

Nutrition Misinformation: How to Identify Fraud and Misleading Claims

A woman examining the contents of the box through a magnifying glass

This fact sheet from Colorado State University (CSU) Extension shares methods for identifying reliable sources of nutrition information and recognizing questionable products and claims. 

Get Tips from CSU Extension

Separating Nutritional Facts from Fiction Webinar

Seperating Nutritional Facts from Fiction screenshot of webinar

Join registered dietitians Courtney Thompson and James Cain as they answer popular questions about nutrition and how to find reputable, science-driven information about human nutrition, including diets, fats, carbs, supplements, and disease prevention. 

Watch the Webinar

Understanding Misinformation

Health Fraud Product Database

Browse products(link is external) with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) health fraud violations, including dietary supplements with suspicious health claims and foods with new or undeclared dietary ingredients. 

Finding and Evaluating Online Resources(link is external)  
NIH, National Center for Complementary and Integration Health
Get information about finding credible health and dietary supplement information on the Internet, social media, and mobile apps (also in Spanish/Español)(link is external).

Health Misinformation Reports and Publications(link is external)  
HHS, Office of the U.S. Surgeon General
Explore reports and resources related to health misinformation, including the "Community Toolkit for Addressing Health Misinformation," which is available in English(link is external) and Spanish/Español(link is external). 

Common Health Scams(link is external)  
FDA, Consumer Advice
Discover how to identify common health scams for dietary supplements and other health products (also in Spanish/Español)(link is external). 

The Truth Behind Weight Loss Ads(link is external) 
 FDA, Consumer Advice
Use these tips for spotting false claims in weight loss product ads (also in Spanish/Español)(link is external). 

Is This Legit? Accessing Valid and Reliable Health Information(link is external) 
NIH, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Advance Addiction Science 
Teach high school students (grades 9-12) how to identify credible sources of health information using this lesson plan and worksheet.