France and Italy are often seen as “cousin” countries because of their geographical and cultural proximity. Is this peculiar closeness observable within the food supplement field, too? In this article, we will compare the approach of the two countries to this class of goods.
For starters, the definition of food supplement is the same within the two countries, as it is established at the EU level by means of the Directive (EC) 2002/46. Let it be said that the purpose of the text was to harmonize food supplement regulation throughout the European Union, an objective only partially achieved to date, as the Directive and its subsequent amendments only cover some regulatory aspects as the list of vitamins and minerals, some labelling points, and a few other issues.
To go back to Italy and France, what can be said on each country’s approach to the food supplement domain?
Generally speaking, a similar attitude can be observed from the two countries. Both of them, for instance, require food supplements entering the market to be notified. A national online platform allows food business operators to manage all the steps of the life cycle of a product in Italy as well as in France. This also enables the creation of nation-wide databases of notified products. The fact that such measures are in place denotes a certain attention from the authorities on what can be found on the market, and should ensure a good level of consumer protection by filtering what products can actually reach final users. A few differences between the two countries can however be identified. In Italy, the notification procedure is subject to a fee, and is based on the authorities’ silent consent; in France, the entire process is free of charge, and food business operators receive a “declaration certificate” at the completion of it.
The fact that both countries are attentive to the safety of marketed products is further demonstrated by the presence of a surveillance system concerning food supplements in each country: Vigierbe in Italy, and Nutrivigilance in France. The systems allow authorities to be on the lookout of feedbacks from end-users on undesirable effects potentially linked to the consumption of several product categories, including food supplements.
Each of the two countries also issued reference guidelines on botanical safety and quality (French and Italian versions).
Orchidali can help you evaluating the most suitable approach for each country.
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Focus on French and Italian regulations on food supplements comparaison: An analysis of convergent aspects (Part 1)
France and Italy are often seen as “cousin” countries because of their geographical and cultural proximity. Is this peculiar closeness observable within the food supplement field, too? In this article, we will compare the approach of the two countries to this class of goods.
For starters, the definition of food supplement is the same within the two countries, as it is established at the EU level by means of the Directive (EC) 2002/46. Let it be said that the purpose of the text was to harmonize food supplement regulation throughout the European Union, an objective only partially achieved to date, as the Directive and its subsequent amendments only cover some regulatory aspects as the list of vitamins and minerals, some labelling points, and a few other issues.
To go back to Italy and France, what can be said on each country’s approach to the food supplement domain?
Generally speaking, a similar attitude can be observed from the two countries. Both of them, for instance, require food supplements entering the market to be notified. A national online platform allows food business operators to manage all the steps of the life cycle of a product in Italy as well as in France. This also enables the creation of nation-wide databases of notified products. The fact that such measures are in place denotes a certain attention from the authorities on what can be found on the market, and should ensure a good level of consumer protection by filtering what products can actually reach final users. A few differences between the two countries can however be identified. In Italy, the notification procedure is subject to a fee, and is based on the authorities’ silent consent; in France, the entire process is free of charge, and food business operators receive a “declaration certificate” at the completion of it.
The fact that both countries are attentive to the safety of marketed products is further demonstrated by the presence of a surveillance system concerning food supplements in each country: Vigierbe in Italy, and Nutrivigilance in France. The systems allow authorities to be on the lookout of feedbacks from end-users on undesirable effects potentially linked to the consumption of several product categories, including food supplements.
Each of the two countries also issued reference guidelines on botanical safety and quality (French and Italian versions).
Orchidali can help you evaluating the most suitable approach for each country.
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