The UK built its food supplement rules by implementing the same EU directive the rest of Europe uses, then kept most of that framework in place as its own law after leaving the EU. The result looks similar to the EU system on paper, but the UK now runs its own claims register, its own novel food process, and its own labelling requirements.
This guide covers the England Regulations and their devolved equivalents, how the Great Britain nutrition and health claims register works, when a Japanese ingredient needs novel food authorisation in Great Britain, and what a UK label needs to say.
💬 Planning a UK launch for a Japan-made supplement? We check the formula and label plan against the current GB rules, not the pre-Brexit EU ones. See Japan-made supplement OEM.
The Food Supplements Regulations, nation by nation
The Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 implement the same EU framework in England that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland implement through their own equivalent instruments, so the underlying definition of a food supplement is consistent across the UK.
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| What it implements | Directive 2002/46/EC’s definition of a food supplement, and the permitted vitamin/mineral list, carried into England’s own law |
| Scope | A food sold in dose form (capsule, tablet, and similar) that is a concentrated source of a vitamin, mineral or other substance with a nutritional or physiological effect |
| Sales name | The product must be sold under the name “food supplement” |
| Devolved equivalents | Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have their own regulations doing the same job, so a UK-wide launch means checking all four are satisfied, not just the England instrument |
Because the England Regulations pre-date Brexit and were built to implement an EU directive, the underlying supplement definition has stayed familiar — what has changed since is the claims register and the novel food process that sit alongside it.
The Great Britain nutrition and health claims register
Since 1 January 2021, only the claims listed on the Great Britain nutrition and health claims register — not the older EU Register — may be used on a food supplement sold in Great Britain.
| Element | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, as it applies in Great Britain, administered through the GB Register |
| What it lists | Every authorised and non-authorised nutrition and health claim, the exact approved wording, the nutrient or substance it relates to, and the conditions of use (for example, minimum nutrient levels) |
| How to use it | The product must meet the claim’s stated conditions, and the approved wording should be used essentially as written, not paraphrased |
| Applying for a new claim | A dossier is submitted to the UK Nutrition and Health Claims Committee for assessment |
A claim authorised in the EU Register is not automatically authorised on the GB Register, and the two lists can diverge over time — check the current GB Register directly rather than assuming EU-approved wording still applies.
💬 Want your claim wording checked against the current GB Register before you finalise the label? Send us the wording.
Novel foods in Great Britain
An ingredient without an established history of consumption in Great Britain needs authorisation as a novel food before it can be sold there, under the retained version of Regulation (EU) 2015/2283.
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Assimilated Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 as it applies in Great Britain |
| Authorisation routes | A traditional food notification (for foods with a history of use outside the EU/GB) or a full novel food application |
| Who assesses it | The Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland run the safety assessment and public consultation before a ministerial decision |
| Where to check status | The FSA’s novel food register reflects current authorisation status in England, Scotland and Wales |
Because this is a separate GB process from the EU’s own novel food authorisation, an ingredient already authorised for the EU market is not automatically authorised for Great Britain, and vice versa — each needs its own check.
Labelling for the UK market
A UK food supplement label needs to be in English (with any other language optional alongside it), carry the “food supplement” sales name, and follow the same core food-information rules as any other prepacked food sold in Great Britain.
| Element | UK requirement |
|---|---|
| Language | English, as the language easily understood by UK consumers; additional languages can be included alongside it |
| Sales name | ”Food supplement” on the label, per the Food Supplements Regulations |
| Ingredient and nutrient listing | Full ingredient list, and the amount of each vitamin, mineral or other characterising substance per stated daily dose |
| General food information rules | The same prepacked food-information requirements that apply to UK food labels generally — business name and address, net quantity, durability date, storage conditions, and so on |
A label built for the EU market usually needs review for GB-specific points — claim wording against the GB Register, and confirmation that the responsible business named on the label has a UK, not only an EU, address.
Before you ask for a quotation
- Whether you are launching in England only, or need to satisfy the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland equivalents too
- Any health or nutrition claim, checked against the current GB Register wording
- Whether any ingredient needs a GB novel food check, separate from any EU novel food status it may already have
- Who will be named as the responsible business on the UK label
- Documents to request from the factory: specification sheet, Certificate of Analysis, Certificate of Free Sale
💬 Ready to plan a UK-bound Japan-made supplement? Send us your formula and claim wording and we will flag what needs checking against the current GB rules.
Frequently asked questions
1. Is the UK’s food supplement law still the same as the EU’s?
The underlying definition, carried over from Directive 2002/46/EC into the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 and its devolved equivalents, is still similar. But the claims register and novel food process now run separately as UK (Great Britain) systems.
2. Can I use an EU-authorised health claim on a UK label?
Only if that same claim also appears, in its approved wording, on the Great Britain nutrition and health claims register — the EU Register and the GB Register are separate lists since 1 January 2021.
3. If my ingredient is already authorised as a novel food in the EU, is it automatically fine for the UK?
No. Great Britain runs its own novel food authorisation process under the assimilated version of Regulation (EU) 2015/2283, so the ingredient’s status needs checking there separately.
4. Does my UK label need to say “food supplement” specifically?
Yes. The Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 (and its devolved equivalents) require the product to be sold under the name “food supplement.”
5. Do I need separate approval for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
Each nation implements its own equivalent regulations, so a UK-wide launch means checking that each applicable instrument, and the relevant novel food and claims decisions, are satisfied.
Sources: The Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/1387), legislation.gov.uk; Great Britain nutrition and health claims register and guidance, gov.uk (Food Standards Agency); Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 as it applies in Great Britain, legislation.gov.uk; Food Standards Agency, “Novel foods authorisation guidance,” food.gov.uk; Food Standards Agency / GOV.UK, “Guidance notes on legislation implementing Directive 2002/46/EC on food supplements.” Checked on 25 September 2026.