Alternative practitioners must know regulations on health foods
If your company sells food supplements and/or medicines or if you import them from abroad, the products and your company must be registered with or authorised by the Danish authorities – food supplements with the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and medicines with the Danish Medicines Agency. In brief, these are the rules that apply to alternative practitioners and other persons marketing e.g. food supplements and herbal medicines.
These days, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and the Danish Medicines Agency are reminding alternative practitioners of the applicable regulations, as it is sometimes necessary to impose a ban on companies that are unfamiliar with the regulations on marketing, import, etc.
Alternative treatment clinics typically sell food supplements without having registered with their regional veterinary and food administration centre. In some instances, the food supplements are not registered in accordance with the rules, and therefore they are not included in the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration’s spot checks. Moreover, in the marketing of certain health foods it is claimed that they can cure diseases. If this is the case, the products are considered to be medicinal products, and therefore they must be approved by the Danish Medicines Agency if they are to be sold legally.
In spring 2010, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and the Danish Medicines Agency will conduct a campaign intended to disclose if the alternative practitioners’ authorisations are in order.
Further information:
Danish Veterinary and Food Administration:
Søren Langkilde, tel.: +45 33 95 61 43 and Mette Christiansen, tel.: +45 33 95 62 26
Danish Medicines Agency:
Gitte Albæk Nielsen, tel.: +45 44 88 92 23 and Lisbeth Lund Hemmingsen, tel.: +45 44 88 97 46