Research

Quality and safety of food supplements on the Slovenian market

Code:

J3-70137

Range:

01. March 2026 - 28. February 2029

Range:

0.84 FTE

Leader:

Žane Temova Rakuša

Field:

3.08 Medical Sciences

Abstract:

The availability and consumption of food supplements (FS) have been increasing worldwide, especially after the COVID-19 outbreak. In the EU, FS are regulated as foods, whose quality is under the responsibility of manufacturers and distributors. With the lack of proper regulation, quality issues are not only a reason for the misleading of consumers but may also pose serious safety risks for individuals and the wider public, in addition to the generally recognized safety issues (toxic contaminants). Specific populations i.e. pregnant and lactating women, infants, toddlers and children, and older adults are particularly vulnerable to the health risks associated with FS inappropriate quality.

Our primary aim is to identify and disclose possible threats to public health, especially to the most vulnerable populations, originating from FS and to highlight the need for their stricter regulation. We thus present the following specific project objectives:

- Evaluation of the behaviour of FS consumers and determination of the most frequently used FS in each target population (pregnant and lactating women, infants, toddlers, and children, and older adults). Selection of a wide and markable range of typical FS for further analysis.

- Evaluation of the selected FS quality and safety in terms of content determination in relation to the labelled content, appropriateness of the daily dose for the target population, and the possible presence of toxic contaminants. Disclosure of potential threats to public health and their mediation to the national competent food safety authority and FS manufacturers.

- Investigation of reasons for the commonly observed quality issues with a focus on stability evaluation of non-compliant FS and active substances (ASs).

The central goal of the project is to evaluate the quality of the most commonly used FS in the most vulnerable population subgroups as well as to provide explanations for the commonly determined quality defects and basic knowledge on AS instability, which need to be addressed within the production of quality, safe and efficient FS. The results will contribute to the protection of the most vulnerable population subgroups and the general improvement of public health.

The project will be carried out in two phases. In Phase 1, we will focus on the quality and safety evaluation of a markable sample of FS, often used by the selected population subgroups, using appropriate analytical methods (liquid chromatography coupled with various detection techniques). We will thus determine the content and form of the AS relating to labelled content, and evaluate the conformity with regulatory requirements and appropriateness of the dose for the target populations. We will also assess the possible presence of regulated (e.g., heavy metals and mycotoxins If applicable) and currently unregulated emerging contaminants (e.g., nitrosamines). Based on the findings, we will identify possible threats to public health and notify the national competent food safety authority. An important segment is raising the overall awareness of this issue, which will be done by public campaigns and publications for both the scientific and lay public and FS manufacturers. As stability issues are one of the main reasons for inappropriate quality, we will focus on stability evaluation of commonly non-compliant ASs and FS (Phase 2).

Founded in our previous research, we recognize the existence, importance, and health consequences of the basic research problem - inappropriate quality and safety of FS, which is rather neglected by the regulatory authorities. Thus, a consortium with great expertise and successful previous cooperation is gathered to contribute towards the protection of the most vulnerable populations and the improvement of public health. Concomitantly, we are confident in our competency and the feasibility of the objectives in the set time frame.