ANH Europe warns that excessively low limits on vitamins and minerals could make widespread micronutrient shortfalls harder to address
AMSTERDAM, 2 April 2026 — As pressure grows on the European Commission to finally introduce harmonised maximum levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements, Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) Europe is warning that badly designed rules could turn a safety exercise into a public health mistake.
The issue has been unresolved since the adoption of the Food Supplements Directive in 2002. But in December 2025, Germany—supported by a large group of Member States—urged the Commission to complete the process as a priority, with a view to setting maximum levels in 2026.
ANH Europe says the central question is not whether safety matters—it does—but whether regulators will adopt an excessively restrictive model that focuses narrowly on preventing high intake while failing to account for the very real health burden of low intake.
Across Europe, micronutrient insufficiency remains common. Vitamin D inadequacy is widespread, especially during winter months and in vulnerable groups. Iron deficiency remains a significant issue among women of reproductive age. Europe has also failed to adopt mandatory folic acid fortification, unlike some other jurisdictions that have seen major reductions in neural tube defects. Vitamin B12 deficiency, particularly among older adults and those following plant-based diets, remains another ongoing concern.
“Public health policy must protect people from both excess and inadequacy,” said Marga Verspagen, counsel and administrator for ANH Europe. “If maximum limits are set too low, they may restrict access to supplement levels that many people rely on to maintain or recover nutritional sufficiency. That would not be proportionate regulation—it would be regulatory harm.”
ANH Europe stresses that EU law already requires a broader approach than simply using upper safe levels as rigid caps. Under Article 5 of Directive 2002/46/EC, maximum amounts must take account of safe upper levels, intake from other dietary sources, and reference intakes for the population. In other words, the legal framework is intended to protect health in the round—not merely to avoid overdose.
The organisation is calling for a proportionate, science-based approach that reflects real-world nutritional need. This should include risk management that considers deficiency prevalence and public health impact, transparent pathways for higher-dose products where justified, and stronger nutrivigilance systems to ensure policy reflects actual outcomes rather than theoretical concerns alone.
As the EU moves closer to action, it must avoid the trap of regulating vitamins as if the only risk were excess,” added Nick van Ruiten, Director of ANH Europe. “The greater danger may be to make common deficiencies even harder to address.
