The European Federation of Associations of Health Product Manufacturers (EHPM) has launched the third edition of its Quality Guide for food supplements, during its Conference on “Quality and Safety in Food Supplements: from Farm to Fork”, held in the Sofitel Brussels Europe on April 20, 2023.

In fact, as shown by Thomas Lochot from IQVIA at the opening of the conference, an increasing number of European citizens rely on food supplements to meet their daily nutritional needs.

These were the main drivers for the organisation of this conference, together with EHPM’s commitment to fostering a constructive and transparent dialogue between industry representatives, European and National regulators and stakeholders, in order to address the challenges that the sector is facing and to cooperate towards the full functioning of the internal market and continuing to ensure consumer safety and choice.

The event hosted representatives of the European Commission from the two Units responsible for food supplements (DG SANTE A.1) and Novel Foods (DG SANTE E.2).

The representative of DG SANTE A.1 offered a broader perspective towards better harmonisation for the European framework for food supplements, outlining the current work regarding the setting of maximum and minimum levels for vitamins and minerals. She highlighted the importance of such events enabling a direct dialogue between all involved actors and allowing the European Commission to hear industry’s expectations. She also highlighted the importance of engaging in the discussions with an approach open to compromise.

The representatives of DG SANTE E.2 provided the participants with an informative and insightful presentation on one of the hot topics of the food supplement sector: novel foods. They went through the authorisation processes for novel foods and presented the new platform of the Novel Food Catalogue, to be officially launched in the coming months. They also listened to the difficulties and proactive proposals of the sector concerning novel foods.

Moreover, other EHPM initiatives were presented during the Conference. On the one hand, as part of EHPM efforts to ensure the highest standards of safety and quality for food supplements from the production process to the post-market stage, EHPM Chair Antonino Santoro presented the approach of the Federation regarding post-marketing vigilance. This includes two essential initiatives: a Pilot Vigilance Project in the context of the ongoing scrutiny period for red yeast rice and the ongoing work on the definition of post-marketing vigilance guidelines for all food supplements.

Finally, the conference concluded with a dynamic and engaging round-table discussion, where Claire Guignier from the French Food Supplement Association “Synadiet” moderated the interactions between DG SANTE E.2 and the food supplements industry, represented by Antonino Santoro (EHPM), Magdalini Selanikli (SESDI), and Nicolas Cappelaere (Laboratoires INELDEA/Synadiet). This discussion enabled attendees to gain more insights into the challenges faced by the industry and the efforts being made to ensure the safety and quality of food supplements for consumers.

About EHPM

The European Federation of Associations of Health Product Manufacturers (EHPM), created in 1975, is the voice of the food supplement sector in Europe. With its 14 National Associations and 11 Member Companies, EHPM represents approximately 1600 health product manufacturers and distributors, the majority of whom are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in 17 European countries.