The safety and efficacy of food supplements are evaluated by EFSA. The EU has created a legal and regulatory framework for these products with the Food Supplements Directive 2002/46/EC. Council Directive 90/496/EEC on nutrition labeling requires that vitamins or minerals may be declared in nutrition labeling only if present in a significant amount. The Community Register on the addition of vitamins and minerals and of certain other substances to foods has been established as laid down by Article 9 of Regulation No 1925/2006. Other substances, i.e. botanicals, are not legally categorized in the EU. EFSA is requested by the European Commission to also assess the bioavailability of new substances. The use of chemical substances as ‘sources’ of vitamins and minerals in food is regulated in the EU by the establishment of positive lists of substances, annexed to the relevant sectorial legislation. There is no global consensus on how the category of dietary supplements is defined in different countries.

Zoi Georgiou (Biognosis)