Food Supplements

DEFINITION

Last update: 04/06/2026

The categorization of food supplements (or dietary supplements) is globally divergent but increasingly harmonized through risk-based safety assessments. These products are defined by their delivery format (concentrated doses) and their intent to supplement the diet with nutrients or bioactive substances [1].

Per WHO [2], vitamin and mineral food supplements derive their nutritional relevance primarily from the minerals and/or vitamins they contain. Vitamin and mineral food supplements are sources in concentrated forms of those nutrients alone or in combinations, marketed in forms such as capsules, tablets, powders, and solutions. They are designed to be taken in measured small-unit quantities but are not in a conventional food form. Their purpose is to supplement the intake of vitamins and/or minerals from the normal diet.

In Europe, Directive 2002/46/EC defines food supplements as foodstuffs intended to supplement the normal diet. These are concentrated sources of nutrients (vitamins and minerals) or other substances with a nutritional or physiological effect, in various dose forms like capsules, pastilles, tablets, pills, powder and liquids, designed to be taken in small, measured unit quantities [3].

In the US, a dietary supplement is intended for ingestion and contains a “dietary ingredient” to supplement the diet. Dietary ingredients include vitamins, minerals, herbs, botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, probiotics, extracts, or combinations of dietary ingredients [4].

In Canada, Natural Health Products (NHP) are a category for naturally sourced products intended for improving human health. It includes vitamins, minerals, herbal, homeopathic medicine, and traditional medicines (e.g., Traditional Chinese Medicine) [5]. 

In Mexico, COFEPRIS classifies Dietary supplements as Suplementos Alimenticios, strictly prohibiting therapeutic claims [6].

In the Latin America (LATAM) region, food supplements complement the regular diet of healthy people. They allow an increased intake of nutrients to maintain an optimal state of health [7].

In Brazil, food supplements are for oral use and come in forms like pills, designed to provide nutrients, bioactive substances, enzymes, or probiotics to healthy people. Under RDC 243/2018, ANVISA ( Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária) consolidated supplements into a single category [8].

Peru (DIGESA -Dirección General de Salud Ambiental) and Chile (MINSAL – Ministerio de Salud de Chile) maintain a high-risk classification for botanicals, often requiring clinical safety data for indigenous species like Maca or Cat’s Claw [9].

In China, “health foods” are defined by the GB 16740-2014 regulation, implemented in 2015. They are foods that are claimed to have specific health functions, or supplement vitamins and minerals, applicable to specific groups of people. They can regulate body functions, don’t cure diseases, and never cause hazards to the human body [10].
The ASEAN Agreement on Health Supplements across 10 member states was finalized during 2020-2021 and aims to harmonize technical requirements across Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand [11].
Governed by the TGA -Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia), the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) (New Zealand).

Australia’s “Listed Medicines” framework is among the world’s most stringent, treating supplements as low-risk therapeutic goods rather than purely food. The TGA releases compliance principles, reinforcing proactive and risk-based enforcement throughout 2026 and 2027 [12].
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