- no location -
Select your location for location specific information:
Food for certain consumer groups; display when sold in Germany
If you wish to market food for certain consumer groups requiring special protection, such as sick people or infants, in Germany, you must notify the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL).
Online services
Online services
-
Nahrungsergänzungsmittel, Lebensmittel für besondere medizinische Zwecke, Säuglingsanfangsnahrung und bestimmte Folgenahrung sowie Tagesrationen für gewichtskontrollierende Ernährung: Inverkehrbringen in Deutschland online mitteilenThe federal portal provides information on administrative services at federal, state and local level. You can use it to deal with the authorities directly online.
Responsible for you
For contact details of the responsible authoritiy and local valid information select under "Select location" a location.
Procedure details
Description
The following foods must meet certain legal requirements for food safety and consumer protection. This applies not only to production or declaration, but also when you make the product available for sale or use:
- Foods for special medical purposes, so-called balanced diets, for use under medical supervision. They cover all or part of the nutritional requirements of sick people when this is not possible with conventional foods.
- Infant formulas and
- certain follow-on formulas.
In the following cases, you must send a notification to the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL):
First notification:
You must notify the BVL at the latest when you distribute the product on the German market for the first time or offer it for use or sale. You must submit a separate notification for each product.
Notification of changes:
Inform the BVL, for example, if the already notified product
- has a changed recipe,
- you change the consumption recommendations or
- your company has a new address.
Second notification:
You must also send a notification if the product
- is already notified in another EU Member State and
- you wish to place the product on the market in Germany for the first time.
The BVL will forward your information to the competent authorities in the federal states and to the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. The competent authorities of the federal states monitor compliance with the legal requirements. As a company, you are responsible for implementing these requirements.
The BVL does not assess the marketability of the products, i.e. the extent to which they comply with food law regulations.
The BVL cannot therefore confirm whether your product complies with food law regulations as part of the notification.
No approval or authorization is granted following the submission of the notification of a food for special medical purposes, an infant formula or certain follow-on formulas.
Requirements
- You are planning to launch foods for special medical purposes, infant formula or certain follow-on formulas on the German market.
Required documents
-
Required document/s
- Sample of the label in German to be used for the product
- Proof of suitability
- If there are several pack sizes or flavors, please submit all corresponding product labels.
- Authorization if you are notifying the product on behalf of the responsible food business operator
-
If you have already notified your product in another EU Member State, the following documents are optional:
- Confirmation of the first notification as a copy
- German or English translation of the confirmation, if applicable
Proceedings
You can submit the notification online via the federal portal:
- Call up the online form on the federal portal verwaltung.bund.de. This will guide you step by step through the necessary information.
- Complete the form, upload the required documents and submit the notification online.
- You will receive a confirmation of receipt.
Fees
There are no costs.
Deadlines
You must make the notification at the latest when you make the product available for sale or use in Germany.
Processing time
Duration: 0.5 hours
Processing is completed once the notification form has been sent or confirmation of receipt has been received.
Special notes
The following information is provided:
The confirmation of receipt of the notification does not constitute a certificate as to whether the product is marketable. The marketability of the product (e.g. labeling) is not checked in the notification.
A notification does not replace the individual obligation to comply with food law regulations.
Legal bases
Appeal
none
Status: 03.11.2024
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Bundesministerium für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Heimat
Source:
Federal Portal
Contains machine translated content.
Show the original content