Dietary Supplements: Northern Ireland
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that businesses in Northern Ireland are not placed at a competitive disadvantage compared with businesses in Great Britain should the European Commission proceed with proposed food supplement regulations applying in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Northern Ireland Office
Currently, Northern Ireland continues to apply relevant European Union (EU) food supplements legislation under the Windsor Framework.
The Government is negotiating a new strategic partnership with the EU called a sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement. It is the Government’s intention that the agreement will take effect in mid-2027. Legislation relating to food supplements and the addition of vitamins and minerals to foods is within scope of the SPS agreement.
An SPS agreement would mean that legislation in-scope of the agreement in Great Britain, would dynamically align with equivalent legislation in the EU. This also means that regulations for businesses in both Great Britain and Northern Ireland will be aligned. Therefore, if EU Food Supplements Regulations are updated in the future to include maximum levels of vitamins and minerals, these regulations in Great Britain will be updated, too.
Officials continue to engage with devolved governments across the United Kingdom through the Nutrition-related Labelling, Composition and Standards (NLCS) Common Framework which aims to reach common positions on nutrition-related labelling, composition and standards legislation in the interests of the UK internal market.
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