Swiss FOPH / Swissmedic

Switzerland regulates supplements under the dual framework of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH, Bundesamt für Gesundheit BAG) administering the Foodstuffs and Utility Articles Act (FSA), the Foodstuffs and Utility Articles Ordinance (FCSO) and the Food Supplement Ordinance, with the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (Swissmedic) regulating the medicinal product boundary under the Therapeutic Products Act (HMG). Switzerland is not an EU member but maintains broad alignment with EU Food Supplements Directive 2002/46/EC and EU Regulation 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims through autonomous Swiss adoption — divergence exists in specific ingredient acceptability, permitted health-claim wording, novel food authorisation (Swiss Novel Food Ordinance) and labelling format. Cantonal Lebensmittelvollzug authorities (26 cantons with substantial divergence in enforcement intensity, Zurich/Geneva/Basel-Stadt/Bern most active) conduct retail sampling and post-market surveillance. The Swissmedic boundary captures products presented as therapeutic, making medicinal claims, or containing pharmacologically-active ingredients above food-supplement threshold — boundary cases include melatonin (medicinal in Switzerland regardless of dose, unlike some EU member states), higher-dose herbal preparations, glucosamine/chondroitin for joint disease, and clinical-claim probiotics. Swissmedic Complementary Medicine pathways (phytotherapy, homoeopathy, anthroposophic, TCM/Tibetan/Ayurvedic) offer streamlined authorisation with reduced evidence requirement. Mandatory trilingual German/French/Italian labelling in practice with cantonal enforcement of French/Italian translation quality. Cassis-de-Dijon mutual recognition under bilateral Switzerland-EU agreements is limited in practice for food supplements; brands maintain Swiss-specific product registration and label artwork.