Notification of food supplements to Eastern Europe
Spanish operators have little knowledge of how to market food supplements to Eastern European countries. These countries, in addition to being guided by European regulations – Directive 2002/46/EC – are also governed by national regulations. In this post we will explain what are the basic specifications for exporting food supplements to Slovakia, Estonia, Poland and Romania.
Vitamins and minerals in food supplements
The vitamin and mineral composition of food supplements is determined in Europe by Regulation 1170/2009/EC, but the maximum daily limits for these substances are defined by the Member States.
Thus, in Slovakia and Estonia there is no established maximum daily intake (MDI). 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 MDI cannot exceed 50% of the Nutrient Reference Values (NRV). 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
Also, the rules on the composition of herbs and other substances are not harmonized among Member States:
Slovakian has a specific list of herbs for food 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 plants authorized 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 the certification of food supplements before they are marketed. In addition, the notification form and labeling must be provided in the national language. However, there are also national specificities, for example: Slovakia has a lighter procedure for products already marketed in another Member State, in Romania a sample of the product must be attached to the dossier, in Poland notification is done online, etc.
If you want to know how to export food supplements in Ukraine or Russia, continue reading this entry “Exporting Food Supplements to Ukraine and Russia”.
At LegaleGo Nutrition we are specialists in dietary counseling. Contact us without any commitment if you want to export your products to other countries.