On Thursday 29 February 2024, the EHPM hosted the launch event of its guidelines for food supplement companies on the management of adverse event reports. EHPM Chairperson Antonino Santoro presented the EHPM guidelines and representatives from two national authorities, Belgium and Italy, presented their respective post-market vigilance systems. Their presentations were followed by the practical experiences of two EHPM members. The event concluded with an exchange of views and a networking lunch.
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- EHPM guidelines for food supplement companies on the management of adverse event reports
Safety, high-quality standards, consumer information and transparency are the key priorities of EHPM, which strongly advocates for an improved regulatory environment and aligns its values with those of national and European authorities. In the current regulatory context, Food Business Operators (FBOs) bear the responsibility for the safety of food supplements, requiring the use of safe ingredients, adherence to high safety and hygiene standards, and accurate labeling. EHPM also supports the implementation of a post-market vigilance system to collect and assess adverse events related to food supplements.
Recently, national and European authorities have highlighted the lack of post-market surveillance for food supplements, which has lead to concerns about their safety and skepticism from authorities. In the meantime, some Member States have initiated national vigilance systems, but there is no official harmonized EU-level system for food supplements. EHPM, in response, has developed non-mandatory self-regulatory guidelines to establish a robust food supplement vigilance system. These guidelines are intended for all FBOs in the EU market, with a particular focus on small and medium-sized enterprises. They serve as a practical tool for FBOs to further enhance the safety of their products by assisting them in developing and implementing effective internal vigilance systems for handling reports in a logical and comprehensive manner.
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The EHPM guidelines for food supplement companies on the management of adverse event reports are available here.
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- 29 February 2024: Launch event
On Thursday, 29th February, EHPM hosted the official launch event of the EHPM guidelines at the exclusive Le Louise Mgallery Hotel Collection in Brussels. This marked a significant milestone in EHPM’s proactive approach to fostering a structured and transparent exchange between decision-makers, industry representatives, and stakeholders on crucial topics. During this event, National Authorities and companies shared their experiences and perspectives, providing attendees with the opportunity to engage in a constructive dialogue on post-market vigilance systems for food supplements.
Livia Menichetti, EHPM Director General, opened the event, setting the scene and introducing the speakers. EHPM Chairperson Antonino Santoro then presented the EHPM guidelines in detail. Honoured speakers from the Belgian DGAPF / SPF Santé publique, Sécurité de la Chaîne alimentaire et Environnement, and the Italian Istituto Superiore di Sanità, presented their respective national systems. Following the authorities’ interventions, two speakers from EHPM members with extensive experience in managing nutrivigilance systems shared insights. These industry representatives illustrated how such systems are practically managed and their role in supporting quality assurance and in enhancing reputation of the company and of the sector as whole.
These gatherings, facilitating fruitful dialogues and exchanges of ideas between decision-makers, authorities and the industry, are a crucial aspect of EHPM’s public affairs strategy, with more to follow in the coming future.
To see more:
The agenda of the event is available here
The photos of the event are accessible here
