Food supplements – basics and legal aspects
Food supplements are foodstuffs, not therapeutic products. This page sets out the legal requirements that apply to composition, manufacture and labelling, how food supplements differ from medicinal products, and what the health risks are.
What are food supplements?
Food supplements are foodstuffs that supplement a normal diet with vitamins, minerals or other substances with a nutritional or physiological effect. They are sold in concentrated form and in measured small unit quantities, e.g. tablets, capsules, sachets of powder, ampoules of liquids or drop dispensing bottles.
They are not intended to treat or prevent diseases and must not be advertised as such. Food supplements are not usually necessary for healthy people who eat a varied and balanced diet, nor should they be used as a substitute for a varied diet. It can be advisable to take food supplements on a temporary basis if individual nutrients are not ingested in sufficient quantities – this tends to affect certain population groups, e.g. women who are trying to conceive, those who are pregnant and older adults.
More information:
Need for food supplements (in French)
Self-supervision
Food supplements do not require authorisation – except in the case of novel food, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or unlisted health claims. As part of self-supervision, manufacturers, importers and distributors must ensure that their products are safe and that they comply with food law.
The cantonal enforcement authorities conduct spot checks to ensure compliance with the legal requirements. Food businesses must report their activity to the cantonal enforcement authorities. However, notification of food supplements is not required in Switzerland.
More information:
Swiss Association of Cantonal Chemists
Legal framework
The provisions specific to food supplements are set out in the FDHA’s Ordinance on Food Supplements (FoodSO).
Distinction from therapeutic products
Food supplements often fall into the grey area between foods and therapeutic products. They must not have any pharmacological effect, and must not be presented as medicines or advertised as being able to prevent, treat or cure a disease.
In order to correctly classify a product, an overall assessment is required, based on aspects such as composition, dosage, purpose, labelling, presentation and advertising.
More:
Criteria for distinguishing between therapeutic products, foodstuffs and consumer products (in French)
Risks
Unlike medicinal products, food supplements do not generally have to undergo an authorisation procedure during which safety is checked by the authorities. Certain products can therefore entail health risks.
Online trade
The legal requirements also apply to products sold online. You should exercise particular caution when buying products that are listed for sale on foreign websites or websites without full supplier details, with exaggerated promises (‘miracle drugs’) or that are not labelled in one of Switzerland’s official languages.
More information:
Responsibility for safe foodstuffs and consumer products (in French)
Buying food online (in French)