| Next revision | Previous revision |
| algae:food:supplements [2026-06-20 15:43] – created robert | algae:food:supplements [2026-06-20 21:16] (current) – [Example: the French "Arrêté Plantes"] robert |
|---|
| ==== The EU Food Supplements Framework ==== | ==== The EU Food Supplements Framework ==== |
| |
| Directive 2002/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 June 2002 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to food supplements, OJ L 183, 12.7.2002, p. 51. [[https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02002L0046-20220101|EUR-Lex]] | Directive 2002/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 June 2002 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to food supplements, OJ L 183, 12.7.2002, p. 51. [[https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02002L0046-20251126|EUR-Lex]] |
| |
| __Relevance to algae:__ This Directive establishes the EU framework for food supplements — concentrated sources of nutrients or other substances with a nutritional or physiological effect, marketed in dose form (capsules, tablets, powders, ampoules, etc.). Critically, this is a __Directive, not a Regulation__ (see [[algae:eu_legislation_general|General on EU Legislation]] for the distinction): it sets harmonised rules for vitamins and minerals used in supplements, but for __other substances__ — including the great majority of algal biomass and algal extracts used in supplements — it leaves considerable scope to national implementation. This is the source of one of the most practically important features of EU algae regulation for supplement producers. | __Relevance to algae:__ This Directive establishes the EU framework for food supplements — concentrated sources of nutrients or other substances with a nutritional or physiological effect, marketed in dose form (capsules, tablets, powders, ampoules, etc.). Critically, this is a __Directive, not a Regulation__ (see [[algae:eu_legislation_general|General on EU Legislation]] for the distinction): it sets harmonised rules for vitamins and minerals used in supplements, but for __other substances__ — including the great majority of algal biomass and algal extracts used in supplements — it leaves considerable scope to national implementation. This is the source of one of the most practically important features of EU algae regulation for supplement producers. |
| === Example: the French "Arrêté Plantes" === | === Example: the French "Arrêté Plantes" === |
| |
| France's ministerial order of 24 June 2014 (known as the "Arrêté Plantes") establishes a list of plant and mushroom species, including a substantial list of macro- and microalgae, permitted for use in food supplements in France, together with their conditions of use. This list has been a frequently used reference point across the EU industry, partly because it is one of the more detailed and species-specific national lists available, but it is __a French national instrument, not an EU list__, and its content does not automatically apply in or bind other member states. | France's ministerial order of 24 June 2014 "Arrêté du 24 juin 2014 établissant la liste des plantes, autres que les champignons, autorisées dans les compléments alimentaires et les conditions de leur emploi" [[https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000029254516/2026-06-20|LegiFrance]] (known as the "Arrêté Plantes") establishes a list of plant species (excluding mushrooms), including a substantial list of macro- and microalgae, permitted for use in food supplements in France, together with their conditions of use. This list has been a frequently used reference point across the EU industry, partly because it is one of the more detailed and species-specific national lists available, but it is __a French national instrument, not an EU list__, and its content does not automatically apply in or bind other member states. |
| |
| The French list and the EU Novel Food Catalogue's "not novel" determinations for food do not perfectly align: as documented in sector analyses, a number of algal species appear on the French supplement list that are not separately confirmed in the EU food catalogue (and vice versa), reflecting the different legal bases, different update cycles, and different scope (supplements specifically, versus food generally) of the two instruments. A producer cannot assume that inclusion on one list implies status under the other. | The French list and the EU Novel Food Catalogue's "not novel" determinations for food do not perfectly align: as documented in sector analyses, a number of algal species appear on the French supplement list that are not separately confirmed in the EU food catalogue (and vice versa), reflecting the different legal bases, different update cycles, and different scope (supplements specifically, versus food generally) of the two instruments. A producer cannot assume that inclusion on one list implies status under the other. |
