2. Detecting adulteration of food supplements

2.1 What is a dietary supplement?

According to Decree no. 2006-352, food supplements are defined as "foodstuffs whose purpose is to supplement the normal diet and which constitute a concentrated source of nutrients or other substances with a nutritional or physiological effect, alone or in combination, marketed in dose form, i.e. forms of presentation such as capsules, pastilles, tablets, pills and other similar forms, as well as sachets of powder, ampoules of liquid, dropper bottles and other similar forms of liquid or powder preparations intended to be taken in measured units of small quantity".

The substances making up food supplements have no therapeutic action and are not intended to prevent or cure disease. Food supplements may contain nutrients (vitamins...