The State of Herbal Supplements

It is a well-known fact that the Food Supplement industry has experienced a boom within the last couple of years, with the Covid pandemic having a big impact. People started paying more attention to their general wellness and turning towards solutions which have a more holistic approach towards health.

As things currently stand, from a European perspective, the legislation is far from straightforward. As I mentioned on the HBW Insight ‘Over the Counter’ Podcast – companies are facing complex challenges in the European space, due to the lack of clarity regarding claims. Since placing the submitted health claims on a so called “on-hold” list, EFSA has not developed yet a framework to evaluate them which suitable for the herbal industry, allowing the benefits of such ingredients to be officially recognised and with a legal basis.

Until a harmonised European regulatory framework is developed, the use of claims for herbal supplements in Europe must be evaluated on a “country by country” basis.

Food supplements are well regulated through food legislation and specific directives, however, when it comes to the promotion of herbal supplements, it can become a minefield.

This is where experts like JensonR+ can be help you navigate the regulatory complexities and ensure you stay compliant with your formulations and claims related to your products. We have experience entangling so called “borderline” cases and can support you to notify and develop compliant products.

Mihai and the JensonR+ team are able to provide practical solutions for Health Food and Food Supplements product development and ingredient selection, label presentation, placing on the market, commercial barriers, regulation interpretation or questions regarding the correct product category, including novel status.

For more information please get in touch at consultancy@jensongroup.com.