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How to register a food supplement in the EU: notification in Germany, Austria and other countries

Reviewed by Dr. Daniel Wallerstorfer, molecular biologist and founder of Novogenia · Updated: 11 October 2026 · Reading time: 10 min

Register, notify, approve: what it actually means

When people ask how to register a food supplement in the EU, they almost always mean the regulatory notification. The key is the difference from an approval:

• Approval: an authority reviews a product and only then permits it to be sold. This does not exist for food supplements as such – the German BVL states explicitly that no permit or approval is granted for food supplements.
• Notification: you inform the competent authority that you are placing a product on the market and submit a model of the label. The authority confirms receipt but does not check whether the product is marketable.
• Components that need authorization: individual ingredients and statements may well require one. Novel foods may only be placed on the market if they are authorized and included in the Union list (Article 6 of Regulation (EU) 2015/2283). Health claims are only permitted if they are authorized and listed (Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006).

So a notification is not a seal of approval. Whether ingredients, amounts and label comply with the rules is the responsibility of the company placing the product on the market.

Germany, Austria, EU: the overview

The EU legal basis: Article 10 of Directive 2002/46/EC

In the EU, food supplements are foods. Their basic rules are set out in Directive 2002/46/EC. On food supplement notification, Article 10 says: to facilitate efficient monitoring of food supplements, member states may require the manufacturer or the person placing the product on the market in their territory to notify the competent authority of that placing on the market by forwarding it a model of the label used for the product.

The word “may” is decisive: the directive does not oblige member states to run a notification procedure, it only allows them to. That is why the situation differs from country to country – and why you need to look at each target market separately.

Germany: notification to the BVL under § 5 NemV

In Germany, notification is mandatory. Under § 5(1) of the German Food Supplements Regulation (Nahrungsergänzungsmittelverordnung, NemV), anyone who intends to place a food supplement on the market as a manufacturer or importer must notify the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) at the latest when the product is first placed on the market – submitting a model of the label used for the product.

According to the BVL (page in German), the procedure works like this:

• Online only: the notification can only be submitted via the online form. Since 1 July 2026, only the online form in the German federal administration portal (Verwaltungsportal Bund) may be used. Logging in with a BundID or a “Mein Unternehmenskonto” business account is possible but optional.
• One notification per product: each food supplement is notified separately, including each flavor. Different pack sizes can be submitted together in one notification.
• Confirmation, not review: once the notification is complete, you receive a confirmation of transmission. It shows that the complete documents were received – not that the product is marketable. The BVL sends no further communication.
• Cost: the notification procedure is currently free of charge.
• Second notification: if the product has already been placed on the market in another EU member state that requires notification, you also state the authority that received the first notification (§ 5(2) NemV).

Failing to notify, or notifying incorrectly, incompletely or late, is an administrative offense (§ 6(3a) NemV). The BVL forwards notifications to the competent federal ministry and to the supreme state authorities responsible for food control (§ 5(3) NemV) – so the control authorities know which products are new on the market.

Austria: no notification of food supplements

If you are looking for a way to notify a food supplement in Austria, you will not find a form: a notification of food supplements is not provided for in Austria, according to verbrauchergesundheit.gv.at, the consumer health portal of the Austrian health ministry. The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) adds that no notification, registration or filing of food supplements has been required since 2006.

Austria implements the EU directive through the Food Supplements Regulation (Nahrungsergänzungsmittelverordnung, NEMV, BGBl. II Nr. 88/2004). No notification does not mean fewer obligations, though: composition, labeling and advertising must comply with the rules just the same, and products on the market can be checked by the authorities at any time. Disease-related and misleading claims are prohibited here too.

Important if you have your products manufactured in Austria: what counts is the country where you sell. A product made in Austria that you offer in Germany must be notified to the BVL.

Other EU countries: one market at a time

Each member state decides for itself whether it requires a notification. The BVL sums up the rule like this: food supplements must be notified before market launch in every member state in which they are placed on the market – provided that state has a notification requirement. For your planning, this means:

• Define your target markets: clarify early in which countries you want to sell – including through your web shop. What counts is the market, not the place of production.
• Clarify the procedure per country: the competent authority, form, language and any fees may differ.
• Label per country: mandatory information must appear in a language easily understood by consumers in the country concerned (Article 15 of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011). For several countries, you will therefore often need a multilingual label or separate versions.
• Document your first notification: you will need to know where and when you notified first, for example for a second notification in Germany.

Independently of product notification, one rule applies EU-wide: every food business operator must notify the competent authority of each establishment under its control that carries out any stage of production, processing or distribution of food, with a view to its registration (Article 6(2) of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004). According to the BVL, this also applies to online retailers, including those selling via marketplaces.

Who is responsible – you or the contract manufacturer?

In contract manufacturing, there are two questions you should keep apart:

• Responsibility for the food information: the food business operator under whose name or business name the food is marketed is responsible for all information about it (Article 8(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011). If you sell the product under your brand, that is you – even if the formula comes from the manufacturer.
• Who files the notification: in Germany, § 5 NemV names the manufacturer or importer as the party required to notify. Who files the notification in your specific project – your brand or the contract manufacturer in agreement with you – is best put in writing.

Even if your manufacturer files the notification for you, you remain responsible for your product. Make sure you always know what was notified, with which label and when.

What you need for the notification

The heart of the notification is the model of the label. That leads to the most important rule for your timeline: you can only notify once the label is final. Prepare these items:

Which mandatory information belongs on the label is explained in detail in Labeling: mandatory information.

The right timing

The NemV requires notification at the latest when the product is first placed on the market. According to the BVL, a product may be placed on the market at the same time as it is notified, provided all food law requirements are met. In project planning, the order looks like this:

1. Approve the formula: nutrients, amounts and dosage form are fixed.
2. Finalize the label: all mandatory information is complete and marketing claims have been checked.
3. File the notification: in every target country with a notification requirement; in Germany, online with the BVL.
4. File the proof: archive the confirmation of transmission and the notified label.
5. Start selling: ship the goods and put the product online.

A common mistake: the label is changed again after notification, for example just before printing. So record which label version was notified, and agree every later change with your manufacturer.

Typical pitfalls

• Applying Austrian logic to Germany: if you manufacture in Austria and sell in Germany, you still need the BVL notification.
• Mistaking the confirmation for clearance: the confirmation of transmission says nothing about whether the formula and label are compliant.
• Forgetting variants: in Germany, a new flavor requires a notification of its own.
• Planning too late: no final label, no notification – and no notification, no launch in Germany.
• Forgetting online sales: if your web shop ships to several countries, those countries are among your target markets – clarify for each whether a notification is needed there.

Frequently asked questions

Related: Labeling: mandatory information · Health claims: what you may advertise · Contract manufacturing at Novogenia

Note: This guide is general information and does not constitute legal advice. Regulations can change; errors and changes excepted. Always have legal questions about your specific product checked by a qualified expert.