UK food supplement labelling: what the label must show

In Great Britain, food supplements are regulated as foods. For England, the specific labelling particulars are in regulation 6 of The Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/1387). Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have parallel regulations. The general food information rules come from Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 as retained in GB law.

Mandatory particulars (SI 2003/1387, reg. 6)

• The name under which the product is sold must be “food supplement”.
• The names of the categories of nutrients or substances that characterise the product, or an indication of their nature.
• The portion of the product recommended for daily consumption.
• A warning not to exceed the stated recommended daily dose.
• A statement that food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied diet.
• A statement that the products should be stored out of the reach of young children.

The law sets what these statements must say, not their exact wording. Our generator offers common wording that you can edit.

Amounts per daily dose and %NRV

Vitamins, minerals and other substances are declared in numerical form per recommended daily dose (not per serving). Vitamins and minerals are also expressed as a percentage of the Nutrient Reference Values (NRVs) in Annex XIII of Regulation 1169/2011. For example, vitamin C 80 mg against an NRV of 80 mg is 100% NRV, and vitamin D 10 µg against 5 µg is 200% NRV.

How it differs from a US panel

• Basis: per daily dose (UK) versus per serving (US).
• Reference values: NRVs (UK) versus Daily Values (US). These are often different numbers, for example vitamin C 80 mg versus 90 mg.
• Units: µg rather than mcg is the usual notation in the UK.
• Ingredients: the UK ingredient list includes all ingredients, with allergens emphasised. See allergen labelling in the US and UK.

Use the UK supplement label generator, or convert an existing US label with the label converter. Ingredient permissions, maximum levels and claims are outside the scope of this guide.