Online Listing - Supplement & Functional Foods

This is a summary of the limitations/requirements for Google’s Shopping Ads Policy relating to Healthcare & Medicine. This is intended merely as a guide, and you are required to refer to the relevant Policy to ensure that your marketing material and/or advertising is within the acceptable grounds.

Shopping ads enable businesses of all sizes, from around the world, to promote a wide variety of products on Google and across our website. We want to help you reach existing and potential customers and audiences. However, we must maintain a safe and positive experience for customers.

Google restricts the promotion of healthcare-related content such as the following:

Over-the-counter medication
Prescription drugs
Google’s unapproved pharmaceuticals and supplement
Pregnancy and fertility-related products
Sexual enhancement treatments
Hemp/CBD products

Here are some of the kinds of content that Google restricts under this policy:

Google’s unapproved pharmaceuticals and supplement:

Herbal and dietary supplement with active pharmaceutical or dangerous ingredients
Products that make false or misleading health claims or sites whose primary purpose is to sell products that claim to be as effective as anabolic steroids, prescription weight-loss drugs, controlled substances and prescription erectile dysfunction drugs
Non-prescription products that are marketed in a way that implies that they are safe or effective for use in preventing, curing, or treating a particular disease or ailment

How can you ensure that your products are not flagged or blocked by Google?

Do not make any hard and fast claims.
- Rather than saying “treats arthritis”, “boosts the immune system” or “treats erectile dysfunction”, soften the claim to something along the lines of “may assist with mobility” or “may support immune function” or “may support male sexual performance”
- Do not refer to specific disease - rather mention their symptoms or how to support bodily systems. For example, do not say “Treats Alzheimer’s Disease”. Rather: “May support cognitive function”.
- Do not refer to supplement as medicinal categories or having those benefits – i.e. “antibiotic(s)” “antiviral(s)”, “antibacterial(s)”, “antifungal(s)”
- Do not refer to supplement as “medicine” or “herbal medicine”
Use phrases like:
- “Traditionally used for…”
- “May help support…”
- “May aid in the reduction of…”
- “May assist with…”
Do not suggest that your product may be safe for pregnancy