Launched at the trade association’s inaugural Food Supplement Summit in Brussels this week (Jun. 23, 2026), the guidelines aim to support legal, responsible honest and transparent communication by both food business operators and influencers companies and influencers.
Saskia Geurts, director at NPN, the Dutch trade association for the food supplement industry, and chair of the EHPM Influencer Marketing Working Group, said the guidance comes at an important time.
“Influencer marketing is growing very rapidly and this poses a challenge for the industry and society,” she told delegates. “Consumers are vulnerable to misleading messages, and for our industry, this is really bad news because this can damage the image of our sector.
“We think guidance is needed specifically for food supplements because the products in our sector are related to health and are also subject to strict regulations, but influencers are not always familiar with these regulations. So, it’s time for self-regulation. We need to show that we are a responsible industry and we need to safeguard the responsible use of food supplements by consumers.”
An evolving consumer landscape
The rise of influencer marketing is largely influenced by the evolving way in which consumers think and behave.
In 2019, a survey conducted by Rakuten Marketing in the United States, Australia, France, Germany and the United Kingdom found that 41% of active social media users frequently discover new brands and products through influencers, and 80% had purchased products via influencer links.
Supplement brands have therefore begun to lean more heavily on influencers in product marketing strategies. However, influencers are often unaware of the strict rules governing supplement marketing in the EU, with a 2022 evaluation by SVUA Stuttgart, a German food safety authority, finding that 90% of health claims made by influencers promoting supplements were inadmissible.
This not only causes consumers to be misled, but also undermines the positive societal role supplements can have in in maintain and improving health, according to the trade association.
Guidance highlights importance of responsibility, honesty and transparency
Companies are advised to follow several key steps. Importantly, they must inform influencers about advertising rules regarding nutrition and health claims. To ensure compliance, contracts should be drawn up and materials should be reviewed prior to publication.
Food business operators (FBOs) carry out due diligence when selecting influencers and providing comprehensive briefings or training materials for influencers they work with.
On the flip side, influencers must ensure that the supplement they are promoting adheres to all relevant regulations. They must also avoid making any form of medical claim or unauthorized nutrition or health claims.
The guidance also recommends that influencers do not guarantee the efficacy of a supplement, or give the impression that when the product is not used, normal health can be compromised. They should also avoid targeting advertisements towards minors.
Honestly and transparency are also recommended, with the guidance reminding influencers not to exaggerate the product’s effects and that testimonials must reflect genuine experience. Disclosures should also be immediate and clear, using European or national wording.
Beckii Flint, a UK-based influencer marketing specialist, told delegates the guidelines should make the lives of brand managers easier when executing campaigns.
“Ultimately, a creator might be really brilliant at storytelling, community building and making content that people really want to watch, but that doesn’t mean that they understand all of the regulatory boundaries in the sector,” she told delegates. “So, I would say that the best approach is to meet them halfway.
“If you want to behave responsibly, give them responsible tools – and that means briefs, clear boundaries, approved language and practical examples to help them get it right before the content goes live. I would say that the key point is let’s not just brief the message, but brief the boundaries as well.”
