Food Supplements Europe marks 24 years of the Food Supplements Directive at the European Parliament
10 June 2026
On 10 June 2026, Food Supplements Europe marked the 24th anniversary of the Food Supplements Directive at an event in the European Parliament titled “Proven Over Time: When EU Policy Delivers for People – The Food Supplements Directive.”
Hosted by MEP Kristian Vigenin, the event brought together policymakers, regulators, scientists, consumer representatives and industry stakeholders. It was an opportunity to reflect on how Europe’s framework for food supplements, such as vitamins and minerals, has supported consumer protection, nutrition, innovation and trust.
The discussion also considered the role of food supplements in wider EU public health priorities, including risk reduction, healthy ageing, nutritional resilience and ensuring adequate nutrient intake across populations.
Marko Perišić, Project Coordinator, represented SAFE and spoke about consumer protection and nutritional resilience in EU health policy. He presented two SAFE campaigns WeValueTrueNatural and KnowYourBotanicals and stressed the need to modernise the regulatory framework to improve both consumer protection and nutritional resilience. He also highlighted the importance of the One Health approach and introduced BiteWatch, SAFE’s food literacy app which attracted interest after the event.
In response to a question on how to boost consumer confidence in food and food supplements in the EU, he emphasised the need for clearer and more transparent labelling, especially regarding terms such as “natural”. He noted that labels are often the main source of information for consumers about a product’s content, origin and quality.
Europe already has a strong regulatory framework for food supplements. The priority now is to ensure that rules remain science-based, proportionate and enforceable, so they continue to protect consumers, support responsible innovation and help people maintain their health.
