What Documents Do You Need to Sell Food Supplements in Germany?

If Germany is one of your launch markets, the paperwork question comes up early. The short answer: there is no product licence to apply for, and no authority approves your formula before you sell it. What exists instead is a notification, a strict list of label items, and a production file you must be able to show on request.

There is no approval — there is a notification

A food supplement placed on the German market must be notified to the Bundesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit (BVL) under §5 of the German food supplement regulation, the Nahrungsergänzungsmittelverordnung (NemV). It is filed by the manufacturer or the importer through the BVL online form, before the product is first placed on the market.

The BVL does not assess whether your product is safe or legal and it does not issue a licence — it confirms that a complete notification arrived. Responsibility for safety, labelling and compliance sits with the business whose name is on the label.

Who counts as the responsible business

The label must carry the name and address of a food business operator established in the EU. For a brand in Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, France or Germany that is normally your own company; for a UK brand shipping into the EU it is whoever imports the goods. That company, not the factory that filled the capsules, files the notification and carries the legal responsibility.

Settle this before you order. We do not file country notifications or handle regulatory submissions; that stays on your side. Our minimums and pricing page sets out what is and is not in a production price.

What has to be on the label

German supplement labelling comes from two places: the general EU rules in Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 and the supplement-specific items in §4 NemV. The label needs:

• the product name “Nahrungsergänzungsmittel”
• the categories of nutrients or substances that characterise the product
• the recommended daily portion, and the amount of each nutrient or substance in it
• for vitamins and minerals, the percentage of the reference values in Annex XIII of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011
• a warning that the stated recommended daily intake must not be exceeded
• a statement that it is not a substitute for a varied and balanced diet
• a note to keep the product out of reach of small children
• the responsible EU operator name and address, plus the general mandatory items: ingredients, allergens, net quantity, durability date, batch code and storage

One point that surprises brands: we do not design or print labels, and we give no design advice. You or your designer supply the artwork, your printer produces the rolls, and we apply them on the line during capsule production or powder filling. Rolls need 76 mm cores, outside-right-front wind, 2 mm spacing, around 1,000 labels per roll.

Claims are where brands get caught

Nutrition and health claims are governed by Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. Only claims assessed and authorised at EU level may be used, in the authorised wording or an equivalent formulation. Claims that a product prevents, treats or cures a disease are not permitted at all — not on the pack, not on your website, not in advertising. A claim that is not properly substantiated also counts as misleading under German food law. Check this before the artwork goes to print — by then the claim is already on the roll.

Ingredients and packaging

Which vitamins and minerals you may use, and in which chemical forms, follows Directive 2002/46/EC as transposed into NemV. Other substances — amino acids, plant extracts, fibre — are not covered by one permitted list and are assessed case by case. Substances with a pharmacological effect do not belong in a food supplement.

Separately from food law, the first company placing packaging on the German market has to be registered for packaging obligations. It applies per market rather than per product, so confirm it before your first shipment.

The documents the factory owes you

The notification and the label are yours. The production file is your manufacturer’s, and you should expect it as standard. Every batch we run comes with batch documentation and quality release — what you fall back on when an authority, marketplace or retailer asks how the product was made.

Behind that paperwork: we have been GMP certified since 2025, maintained by annual audit, and we are ISO certified and RGSAA registered, with EORI and REACH credentials. Production runs in our own 500 m² facility in southern Spain, opened in 2026, with production rooms held at 32–35% relative humidity. Not included: raw materials unless you ask us to source them, freight, and regulatory filing or country notification. Lead time is 6 to 9 weeks from approved artwork and raw materials in stock.

A realistic order of work

1. Settle the formula and the format — capsules or powder changes both your minimum order and your artwork.
2. Get the artwork right: claims and the §4 items checked before anything is printed.
3. File the BVL notification as the responsible business.
4. Register for German packaging obligations.
5. Place the production order and keep the batch file with your records.

This is a general overview, not legal advice — check your specific product with your own regulatory adviser or directly with the BVL. If you want to know whether your product fits our line, send us the details and we will tell you straight.