Vitamins and minerals are microelements indispensable to countless body functions, such as brain performance, blood pressure or digestion.
Using food supplements is a complementary way to raise our levels of those elements, normally obtained through a healthy diet. Citizens are becoming health-focused costumers, which heavily influences the food industry’s importance in last decades.
Regulatory-wise, the EU Commission, supported by European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), establishes maximum limits for vitamins and minerals in food supplements for different population groups, to ensure a correct daily intake that will not pose a risk of adverse health effects.
Annex I to the Directive 2002/46/EC frames the regulatory threshold, however, each EU Member State has the power to impose a stricter approach of any element, reducing the maximum levels
Additional vitamins and minerals may be considered for inclusion in the list following the evaluation of an appropriate scientific dossier concerning the safety and bioavailability of the individual substance by the European Food Safety Authority
Annex II to the above Directive contains a list of permitted sources for these vitamins and elements, which cannot be changed by the Member States.