Conclusions and outlook

Over the years, herbal food supplements have become part of consumers' daily lives. The health authorities therefore had a duty to monitor their marketing as closely as possible.

The various articles of law published since 2002 have been supplemented by the Order of June 24, 2014 establishing the list of plants, other than mushrooms, authorized in food supplements and the conditions of their use. This new order now sets the guidelines for quality control, which must be thorough and relevant in order to guarantee consumer safety.

These new parameters often represent obstacles for small structures which, until this new decree, had few constraints. However, they now need to acquire the necessary knowledge in the fields of analytical chemistry, phytochemistry and botany. Whether in terms of human resources or subcontracting, the additional costs...