Food and supplements in Europe: the EU company on your label

The company on the label

Under the EU regulation on food information, every prepacked food shows the name and address of the company responsible for the food information, which is the company under whose name the food is marketed (Article 8(1)). When that company is established outside the EU, the label shows the importer into the EU, and the authorities deal with the importer. The importer must know its supplier and its customers and take the product off the market when something is wrong. Every company in the chain, from the producer to the shop, is a food business operator (FBO) with its own duties under Regulation 178/2002 (Articles 3 and 17).

The company on the label must also follow the rest of EU food law. It needs a food safety system based on the analysis of hazards (HACCP), must trace products one step back and one step forward in the chain, registers the business with the national authority and labels the products in the language of each country of sale, under the EU rules on allergens, nutrition and ingredients.

A brand can give this role to a distributor, but a change of distributor then means a new label, new registrations and the loss of the old distributor’s market knowledge. Brands with large sales volumes therefore often give the role to their own European company, which puts their own name on the label, keeps their stock in Europe and lets them sign the contracts with shops and marketplaces themselves.

EU rules on what you may sell and claim

An ingredient that saw insignificant use for human consumption in the EU before 15 May 1997 counts as a novel food and needs an EU authorisation before it may be sold. The category includes many plant ingredients (botanicals), new proteins, some extracts and ingredients that are common in the United States or Asia, and the Union list of authorised novel foods shows what is allowed and under which conditions.

A statement that a food or an ingredient does something for health, such as supporting immunity or sleep, is a health claim. The EU allows only the claims on its register of authorised claims, with the wording and the conditions set out there, and the same applies to nutrition claims such as “high in protein” or “sugar free”.

The EU directive on food supplements lists which vitamins and minerals may be used and in which forms, while each country sets its own maximum daily amounts, so a dose that is fine in one country can be too high in another. Other substances, such as botanicals, amino acids and probiotics, are regulated country by country.

A food law specialist checks your formulas and labels against these rules before the first shipment, and many brands adapt their products for the EU, for example with a lower dose, a different vitamin form or a claim in the authorised wording.

Dutch rules for food and supplements

The Dutch food authority is the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). Since 10 March 2026 a food business registers with the NVWA itself, through its online portal MijnNVWA, and confirms the registration every year. Registration with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KVK) comes first, and a business that registered earlier must register again. Individual food supplements are exempt from notification before sale, the general rules are in the Dutch supplements decree, and the NVWA inspects the products on the market. When you also sell in Germany, Belgium, Italy or Spain, the food law partner notifies your products there from your Dutch company.

Products of animal origin, such as dairy, meat, fish, honey or collagen from animals, must be imported through a border control post, and Rotterdam and Schiphol both have one. Organic products need an EU import certificate issued through the EU online system for such certificates (TRACES). The customs agent and the food law partner arrange both.

The Dutch VAT rate on food, including most supplements, is 9%. With the Article 23 licence the company reports import VAT in its VAT return, and the payment at the border falls away, although any customs duty remains due at import. Corporate tax is 19% on the first €200,000 of profit and 25.8% above that. Read more on setting up a subsidiary in Europe and importing in bulk through the Netherlands.

Last reviewed in October 2026. Based on Regulation (EC) 178/2002 (general food law), Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 (food information) and Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 (novel foods). Also on Regulation (EC) 1924/2006 (claims), Directive 2002/46/EC (food supplements) and the Dutch Commodities Act decree on food supplements. All as applied in 2026. Specialised partners prepare the product files, and we coordinate the work.