Iodine: the label details that get skipped
Micrograms, named sources and the NRV column: what to check on an iodine label before comparing two packs.
Micrograms, not milligrams
Iodine is declared in micrograms on a nutrient panel, and a microgram is a thousand times smaller than a milligram.
Where a pack prints several nutrients together, the units can change from row to row. Read the unit on the iodine row specifically.
Potassium iodide against seaweed sources
Iodine is supplied either as a defined salt, usually potassium iodide or potassium iodate, or from a seaweed material such as kelp.
The iodine content of a harvested seaweed varies between batches, so a label using one declares the tested iodine figure rather than a figure you could calculate from the seaweed weight.
- Salt sources: the compound is named in the ingredients list.
- Seaweed sources: the species or extract is named, and the iodine is declared in the panel.
- The seaweed milligram figure is not an iodine figure.
The NRV percentage is the comparison tool
Nutrient reference values are single fixed reference figures set in law, one per nutrient. The percentage on the pack reports how the portion compares with that reference.
On a microgram nutrient that column is often easier to read across brands than the raw figure, because it removes any unit confusion.
Why the ingredients list still earns a read
Beyond the source, the ingredients list carries the carriers, the bulking agents and anything that affects dietary suitability.
If a pack states suitability, that wording should be traceable to what is printed in the list rather than to the front of the pack.
Count the tablets, then find the portion
This pack is listed as 90 tablets. That is a unit count, not a serving count, and the two are only linked once the label states a portion.
Until then, comparing price per tablet across two brands can point in the wrong direction.
What the label tells you
The full ingredients list, the amount per portion, allergens, dietary suitability, directions and storage are printed on the pack.
Read the label before you take any supplement, and check the product page for the format, pack size and price before you buy.
