Supplement maximum levels: UK and Europe by country (2026)

The UK in one table

The UK sets no legal maximum for vitamins and minerals in food supplements. The NHS publishes, for each nutrient, the daily amount from supplements that the Department of Health and Social Care considers unlikely to cause harm. Inspectors and responsible brands work to these figures, which come from the 2003 report of the Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals.

Figures from the NHS vitamins and minerals pages, checked 30 October 2026. Northern Ireland follows EU food law, which also has no harmonised maximums, so in practice the same figures apply there. Under the UK-EU SPS agreement being negotiated for mid-2027, Great Britain would follow EU food supplement rules again, including any EU-wide maximums the EU adopts later.

Why the limits differ from country to country

The EU harmonised which vitamins and minerals may go into supplements, and in which chemical forms, back in 2002. It also said the Commission would set common maximum amounts. That second step has never happened, so every country fills the gap itself.

The result is three kinds of market:

• Binding law. The maximum is in a decree or regulation and applies to every product made or notified there: Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands (vitamins A, D and B6 only), Sweden (vitamin D and iodine only), Norway and Switzerland.
• Official guidance. An authority publishes “safe” figures that inspectors use, but they are not law: the UK (Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals and NHS advice), Germany (BfR), Austria and Ireland (FSAI).
• No national maximum. Spain and Finland set no general limits; authorities judge products case by case against EFSA’s safety levels.

Are EU-wide maximums coming? The European Commission is preparing them, and its plan lists adoption for the first quarter of 2028. In October 2026, however, it said no public consultation is planned for this year and gave no new timetable. Long transition periods are likely after adoption. Until then, national rules apply.

Maximum daily dose per country

Maximum amount per recommended daily dose of a food supplement, for adults. ”—” means no national maximum.

Figures checked against national sources and the Verbraucherzentrale comparison (September 2025) on 15 October 2026; UK figures checked against the NHS on 30 October 2026. Several countries set separate, lower limits for children and teenagers.

Melatonin

The biggest differences, in plain numbers

• Vitamin D: a 4,000 IU (100 µg) tablet sold legally in the UK or Ireland is five times the German and Austrian guidance level and above the binding limits in Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Sweden, Norway and Switzerland.
• Zinc: Switzerland allows 5.3 mg per day and Germany advises 6.5 mg, while the UK and Ireland use 25 mg. A standard 25 mg zinc tablet is five times the Swiss limit.
• Vitamin B6: Germany’s 0.9 mg proposal sits next to 10 mg in the UK and 25 mg in Ireland’s guidance. Ireland’s figure predates EFSA’s 2023 decision to cut the B6 safety level from 25 mg to 12 mg; the NHS figure of 10 mg is already below it.
• Magnesium: Belgium and Italy allow 450 mg, almost double the 250 mg EFSA level for supplemental magnesium. EFSA’s level is set to avoid diarrhoea, not serious harm.

How a product can be legal where it exceeds the limit

This is the part most shoppers never hear about. Inside the EU, the principle of mutual recognition (Articles 34–36 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, now organised by Regulation (EU) 2019/515) says: if a product is lawfully marketed in one member state, another member state cannot simply ban it because its own national rules differ.

In practice:

1. A brand notifies a 75 µg vitamin D supplement in Belgium, where that is legal.
2. It then sells the same product in Germany, where the BfR guidance is 20 µg, or in Italy, where the binding limit is 50 µg.
3. The German or Italian authority can only stop it with a reasoned, product-specific decision showing a real risk to health. Since 2020 the seller can back its case with a “mutual recognition declaration” under Regulation 2019/515.

The Court of Justice confirmed in the Noria Distribution case (C-672/15, 2017) that countries may set their own maximums while the EU has none, but those maximums must rest on a proper scientific risk assessment, not a blanket precaution.

Outside the EU the picture changes:

• Norway applies the same principle through the EEA Agreement.
• Sweden has a built-in escape valve: a business can apply for a dispensation from the 80 µg vitamin D and 200 µg iodine limits if it shows the higher dose is safe.
• Switzerland recognises EU-lawful products under its own “Cassis de Dijon” rule, but foods need prior clearance from the Federal Food Safety Office (FSVO/BLV) before they can rely on it.
• United Kingdom: since Brexit there is no mutual recognition with the EU for Great Britain. A supplement sold in GB must use the vitamin and mineral forms permitted under GB law, carry only claims from the GB register and, since 1 January 2024, show a UK address for the business responsible. Northern Ireland still follows EU food rules. The UK-EU SPS agreement planned for mid-2027 would bring Great Britain back in line with EU food supplement rules.

What this means for you: the dose on a label tells you what was legal where the product was first put on the market, not necessarily what your own country considers safe. Products shipped from outside the EU, such as US brands sold through marketplaces, get no mutual-recognition protection at all.

What each ingredient does, and what too much can do

The benefits below are limited to what authorised health claims allow (the GB and EU registers match for these nutrients). They are not medical advice. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before taking high doses, especially with medication, in pregnancy or for children.

Vitamin D

• Role: contributes to normal absorption of calcium and phosphorus, normal bones, teeth and muscle function, and normal immune function.
• Too much: builds up in body fat over time and can raise blood calcium (hypercalcaemia), which can damage the kidneys and heart. Risk comes from high-dose supplements, not sun or food.

Vitamin B6

• Role: contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism, normal nervous system function and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
• Too much: long-term high intake is linked to peripheral neuropathy (tingling and numbness in hands and feet). This is why EFSA halved its safety level to 12 mg in 2023, and why the NHS advises no more than 10 mg a day from supplements. Watch for B6 hidden in magnesium and “sleep” complexes.

Folic acid

• Role: contributes to normal blood formation and maternal tissue growth during pregnancy; 400 µg a day before and in early pregnancy reduces the risk of neural tube defects.
• Too much: high intakes can mask vitamin B12 deficiency, letting nerve damage progress unnoticed.

Magnesium

• Role: contributes to normal muscle and nerve function, energy metabolism, electrolyte balance and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
• Too much: the main effect of supplemental magnesium above about 250 mg (EFSA) or 400 mg (NHS) is a laxative one (diarrhoea, cramps). People with kidney disease should not take it without medical advice.

Zinc

• Role: contributes to normal immune function, fertility, skin, hair and nails, and protection of cells from oxidative stress.
• Too much: long-term high intake blocks copper absorption and can cause anaemia and low white blood cell counts.

Selenium

• Role: contributes to normal thyroid function, immune function, hair and nails, and protection of cells from oxidative stress.
• Too much: the earliest sign of excess is hair loss and brittle nails. Two or three Brazil nuts a day already supply a lot of selenium.

Iodine

• Role: contributes to the normal production of thyroid hormones and normal cognitive function.
• Too much: excess can trigger thyroid over- or underactivity, particularly in people with existing thyroid disease. Kelp and seaweed supplements can be extremely high in iodine.

Melatonin

• Role: 1 mg taken close to bedtime contributes to reducing the time it takes to fall asleep; 0.5 mg helps relieve the subjective feeling of jet lag.
• Too much: daytime drowsiness, headache and dizziness; it interacts with some medicines and alcohol. Higher doses do not work better for most people, which is why several countries keep supplement doses low.

How to read a label wherever you live

1. Check the dose per daily serving, not per tablet or per 100 g.
2. Compare it with the line for your country in the tables above: in the UK, the NHS figure; elsewhere, the national limit and the EFSA level.
3. Add up the same nutrient across all products you take: a multivitamin plus a vitamin D tablet plus fortified milk can double your intake.
4. Treat any product above the NHS or EFSA level as something to discuss with a GP or pharmacist, even if it is legal to sell.

This guide is general information, not medical advice. Limits change; we re-check the sources in this article every six months.