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Notification of food supplements to Eastern Europe
Spanish operators do not know how to market food supplements to Eastern Europe. These countries, in addition to being guided by European regulation –Directive 2002/46/EC– are also governed by national regulations. In this entry we will explain the basic specifications for exporting food supplements to Slovakia, Estonia, Poland and Romania.
Vitamins and minerals in food supplement
The vitamin and mineral composition food supplements is determined in Europe by Regulation 1170/2009/EC, but the daily maximum limits for these substances are defined by the Member States.
Thus, in Slovakia and Estonia there is no established maximum daily intake (IDM). The operator is solely responsible for the safety of his product and must take into account the maximum tolerable intakes defined by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
In Poland, the IDM cannot exceed 50% of the Nutrient Reference Values (NRVs). However, this rule does not apply to products already marketed in other Member States of the European Union and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).
Herbs and other substances in food supplements
In addition, the rules on the composition of herbs and other substances are not harmonized among Member States:
Slovakia does not have a specific list of herbs for dietary supplements and the Belfrit list is taken into account with the exception of herbs considered medicinal or psychotropic.
In Romania there is a list of authorised plants in food supplements.
Poland, for the evaluation of plants and substances, does so on a case-by-case basis by the authorities when notifying the product.
Notification of food supplements in Eastern Europe
Slovakia, Estonia, Romania and Poland require notification of food supplements prior to their marketing. In addition, the notification form and labeling in the national language must be provided. However, there are also national specificities, such as: Slovakia has a lighter procedure for products already placed on the market in another Member State, in Romania a sample of the product must be attached to the dossier, in Poland the notification is made online, etc.
If you want to know how to export food supplements in Ukraine or Russia, continue reading this entry “Export food supplements to Ukraine and Russia”.
At LegaleGo Nutrition we are specialists in food counseling. Contact us without any commitment if you want to export your products to other countries.