Food Supplements

This information is for consumers who buy food supplements or who are looking to purchase food supplements. The information below will help you understand what is required of a business selling food supplements and what you can look out for when purchasing food supplements. 

In the UK, products described as food supplements (such as vitamins, minerals or amino acids) are regulated as foods, and in Scotland they are regulated by the Food Supplements (Scotland) Regulations 2003 (similar regulations apply in England, Wales and Northern Ireland). Food supplements are also subject to the provisions of general food law such as the Food Safety Act 1990.

Any business (such as gyms, tanning salons, fitness studios) selling food supplements must also be registered as a Food Business Operator with the environmental health services at their local authority.

A food supplement is defined in legislation as 'any food the purpose of which is to supplement the normal diet, and which is a concentrated source of a vitamin or mineral or other substance with a nutritional or physiological effect, alone or in combination and is sold in dose form'. 

A wide range of nutrients and other ingredients might be present in food supplements. These can include:

• vitamins
• minerals
• amino acids
• essential fatty acids
• fibre
• plant and herbal extracts

The vitamins and minerals and their forms that can be used in food supplements are provided by legislation. Only vitamins and minerals listed in Schedule 1 and in the form listed in Schedule 2  of Nutrition (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 can be used in food supplements. However, these regulations do not set out a list of “other substances” that can be added to food. It is important to note that it is the responsibility of the food business to ensure that all such other substances used in food supplements are safe.

Food supplements are only intended to 'supplement' people's diets and should not be used to replace a varied, healthy diet.

Food supplements are not medicines and their use is not intended to treat, cure, or prevent disease in humans.

Food Supplements must be labelled with certain information, as set out in Regulation 1169/2011 On Food Information To Consumers and Food Supplements (Scotland) Regulations 2003. For example, some of the items that food supplements must be labelled with include: 

• being labelled as a “food supplement” and not “dietary supplement”
• the manufacturer’s name and address
• a list of ingredients, including common allergens which must be emphasised
• conditions for use, including information on the recommended daily dose and a warning not to exceed this
• storage instructions, including a statement that the product should be stored out of reach of young children
• a nutritional declaration
• a “use by” or a “best before” date
• the name of any vitamins or minerals or other substances, such as amino acids or fatty acids
• a statement that food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied diet

Food business operators must ensure that any nutrition claim (e.g. ‘low fat’) or health claim (e.g. ‘maintains healthy cholesterol levels’) on food supplement packaging complies with the relevant legislation, for example Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods and the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulations (Scotland) 2007. All nutrition or health claims made by food business operators must first be authorised/approved before being used on products for public consumption. Nutrition and health claims must be based on scientific evidence and may only be used in commercial communications if they have been authorised following scientific assessment of substantiating evidence. You can check whether claims are approved for use via the following link Great Britain Nutrition And Health Claims (NHC) Register.

 In this case please refer to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) guide to what is a medicinal product to determine if such a product falls under that category, or contact MHRA to obtain a regulatory opinion on the status of the product. This can be done through the Medicines Borderline Advice Form. The MHRA Borderline Unit can also be contacted at borderline_medicine@mhra.gov.uk.

When purchasing food supplements there are some things to look out for and checks you can do such as:

• ensure that the food supplements are labelled correctly and contain the information stated above
• only buy food supplements over the internet if you are confident that the business is reputable
• beware of counterfeit products, particularly on the internet if the product’s price is considerably cheaper than from other suppliers
• that the food supplement isn’t making any medical claims, such saying they can “cure” an illness
• the correct units are used, for example ‘milligram (mg)’ or ‘microgram (mcg/µg)’. ‘International Units (IU)’ alone should not be used for food supplements
• that the food supplements are only making authorised health claims. You can find a list of these here: Great Britain Nutrition And Health Claims (NHC) Register