Product categories

Food supplements

Food supplements — vitamins, minerals, plant extracts and other concentrated nutrients in dose form — are among the largest parapharmacy categories. In law they are foods, not medicines. That decides how they are sold, labelled and promoted.

What counts as a food supplement

Under Directive 2002/46/EC, a food supplement is a foodstuff intended to supplement the normal diet. It is a concentrated source of nutrients or other substances with a nutritional or physiological effect, and it is sold in measured doses: capsules, tablets, sachets, ampoules, drops. Typical parapharmacy examples are multivitamins, vitamin D, magnesium, iron, omega-3 oils, probiotics and botanical preparations. A product presented as treating or preventing disease, or that acts pharmacologically, is a medicine instead. See borderline products.

Where they are sold

As foods, food supplements are not reserved to pharmacies in any of the countries covered on this site. They are sold in pharmacies, parapharmacies, supermarkets, health-food shops and online. Before first marketing, the business placing the product on the market usually notifies the national authority — for example the DGCCRF in France, the Ministry of Health in Italy, or the FPS Public Health in Belgium. Notification is not an approval of efficacy.

Reading the label

Besides the general food-labelling rules, a food supplement label must show:

• the name "food supplement" (complément alimentaire, integratore alimentare, complemento alimenticio, suplemento alimentar);
• the names of the categories of nutrients or substances that characterise the product;
• the recommended daily portion and a warning not to exceed it;
• a statement that supplements should not replace a varied diet;
• a statement that the product should be kept out of the reach of young children;
• the amount of each nutrient or substance per daily portion, and for vitamins and minerals often also a percentage of the reference intake.

Mineral amounts are given for the mineral itself. For example, "magnesium 300 mg" refers to elemental magnesium, not to the weight of magnesium citrate in the capsule.

What claims are allowed

Nutrition and health claims must be authorised under Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 and used under the conditions in the EU Register. A claim such as "vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system" is authorised. A claim that a product prevents colds is not. Many botanical claims are still "on hold" and may continue to be used under transitional rules, which explains why plant-based products often carry wording not found in the Register. No food supplement may claim to prevent, treat or cure a disease.

Points of caution

• Maximum doses differ by country. There are no harmonised EU maximum levels, so the same brand may contain different amounts in different markets.
• Cumulative intake. Taking several products containing the same nutrient — for example vitamin D, vitamin A or iron — can exceed the tolerable upper intake levels set by EFSA.
• Interactions. Some supplements are known to interact with medicines. Examples include St John's wort with many drugs, vitamin K with anticoagulants such as warfarin, and minerals such as calcium, iron and magnesium, which can reduce the absorption of certain antibiotics and thyroid medication. A pharmacist can check combinations.
• Specific groups. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, childhood, kidney disease and planned surgery are situations in which professional advice is particularly relevant.

Suspected adverse reactions to food supplements can be reported to national nutrivigilance schemes where they exist (for example ANSES in France).

Frequently asked questions

Are food supplements medicines?

No. In EU law, food supplements are foods. A product that claims to treat or prevent disease, or that acts pharmacologically, is regulated as a medicine instead.

Can food supplements be sold outside pharmacies?

Yes. Food supplements are foods and may be sold in pharmacies, parapharmacies, supermarkets, health-food shops and online throughout the EU, subject to national notification rules.

Are food supplements approved before sale?

Generally not. Most Member States require notification before the product is placed on the market, but notification is not an evaluation of efficacy. Specific ingredients may need prior authorisation, for example novel foods.

Why do labels show amounts as a percentage?

Vitamin and mineral amounts may be expressed as a percentage of the reference intakes (nutrient reference values) set out in Annex XIII to Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011.

Last reviewed: October 2026.