Food supplements: approximation of the laws of the Member States

PURPOSE : to bring closer the laws of the Member States on food supplements. COMMUNITY MEASURE : Directive 2002/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to food supplements. CONTENT : this Directive, as amended by the European Parliament, is aimed at maintaining both a high level of public health protection and the free circulation of products concerned by ensuring that food supplements are safe and bear adequate and appropriate labelling. The Directive provides in particular : - the setting of maximum amounts of vitamins and minerals present in food supplements per daily portion of consumption as recommended by the manufacturer shall be set, taking the following into account: upper safe levels of vitamins and minerals established by scientific risk assessment based on generally accepted scientific data, taking into account, as appropriate, the varying degrees of sensitivity of different consumer groups; intake of vitamins and minerals from other dietary sources. When the maximum levels are set, due account should also be taken of reference intakes of vitamins and minerals for the population. To ensure that significant amounts of vitamins and minerals are present in food supplements, minimum amounts per daily portion of consumption as recommended by the manufacturer shall be set, as appropriate. - the presentation by the Commission, in the five years following that of its adoption, of a report on the possibility to establish specific rules concerning other nutriments or substances which have a nutritional or physiological effect, accompanied by any proposals for amendment to this Directive which the Commission deems necessary; - a transition period, during which the continued use of vitamins and minerals not specified in the Annexes shall be authorised. ENTRY INTO FORCE : 12/07/2002. IMPLEMENTATION : Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive by 31 July 2003. They shall forthwith inform the Commission thereof. Those laws, regulations and administrative provisions shall be applied in such a way as to permit trade in products complying with this Directive, from 1 August 2003 at the latest; and to prohibit trade in products which do not comply with the Directive, from 1 August 2005 at the latest.�