
Food supplements label, what content should it include?
What content should the food supplements label include?
The food supplements label, as well as its presentation and advertising, must comply with the provisions of Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 on food information provided to the consumer.
The main obligation is that the name with which the products included in the scope of this royal decree are marketed must be “food supplement”. In the food supplements label, therefore, this denomination must be included. Labeling, presentation and advertising will not include any statement that states or suggests that a balanced and varied diet does not provide adequate amounts of nutrients in general.
The label of food supplements, likewise, may not attribute the property of preventing, treating or curing a human disease, nor shall it refer at all to such properties
The following information will also appear on the food supplements label:
- the denomination of the categories of nutrients or substances that characterize the product, or an indication of the nature of said nutrients or substances.
- the dose of the product recommended for daily consumption.
- the warning to not exceed the expressly recommended daily allowance.
- the express statement that food supplements should not be used as a replacement for a balanced diet.
- the indication that the product should be kept out of the reach of small children.
On the other hand, it should also be taken into account for the label of food supplements that:
- The nutritional information of Royal Decree 930/1992, of July 17, which approves the labeling norm on nutritional properties of food products, nor that of Regulation 1169/2011 is not applicable.
- The amount of nutrients or substances with a nutritional or physiological effect contained in the product will be declared on the label numerically.
- For the vitamins and minerals, the units indicated in Annex I.
- The declared amounts of nutrients or other substances will be per dose of the product, those recommended by the manufacturer on the label for daily consumption.
- The information on vitamins and minerals will also be expressed as a percentage of the reference values mentioned, where appropriate, in the annex of Royal Decree 930/1992.
- The percentage of the reference values for vitamins and minerals may also be shown graphically.
Article 9, paragraph 1, letter g) of Regulation 1169/2011 (applicable to the labeling of food supplements), establishes that it will be mandatory to mention, among other indications, the net amount of food.
For its part, Article 13, paragraphs 2 and 3 provide that:
“2. Without prejudice to the specific provisions of the Union applicable to specific foods, when they appear on the package or on the label attached thereto, the mandatory references listed in Article 9 (1) shall be printed on the package or on the label in a manner that a clear readability is guaranteed, in characters that use a font size in which the height of the x, as defined in Annex IV, is equal to or greater than 1.2 mm.
3. In the case of containers or containers whose surface area is less than 80 cm2, the size of the letter referred to in paragraph 2 shall be equal to or greater than 0.9 mm (height of x). ” Section 2 of Annex IX indicates that: “2. When provided by the provisions of the Union and, in its absence, by nationals, the indication of a certain type of quantity (such as the nominal amount, the minimum amount or the average amount), this amount will be, for the purposes of this Regulation, the net amount.”
Likewise, Royal Decree 1801/2008, of November 3, which establishes rules regarding nominal quantities for packaged products and the control of effective content (incorporation into the national law of the provisions of Directive 76/211/EEC of the Council), stable in article 9 on inscriptions and marking, that every package must carry indelibly, easily legible and visible, as specified, the following indications:
a) The nominal amount (mass or nominal volume) expressed, using as units of measure the kilogram or gram, liter, centiliter or milliliter, by means of figures with a minimum height of:
1st) 6 millimeters, if the nominal amount is greater than 1,000 grams or 100 centiliters.
2nd) 4 millimeters, if the nominal amount is between 1,000 grams or 100 centiliters, inclusive, and 200 grams or 20 centiliters, exclusive.
3rd) 3 millimeters, if the nominal amount is between 200 grams or 20 centiliters, inclusive, and 50 grams or 5 centiliters, exclusive.
4th) 2 millimeters, if the nominal amount is equal to or less than 50 grams or 5 centiliters. They will be followed by the symbol of the unit of measure or its name, as provided by law.
At LegaleGo Nutrition Food Safety Consulting, we are specialized in writing, reviewing and translating food supplements labels. As lawyers and expert technicians, we guarantee full compliance with the labels prior to placing them on the market.