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Assessment of vitamins and minerals in foods

Humans require vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) in addition to carbohydrates, protein and fat (macronutrients).

Vitamins and minerals are involved in numerous metabolic processes. Among other things, they play a major role in electrolyte and water balance, are essential for the immune system and for the development and function of bones, muscles and teeth. They are required for visual processing and the nervous system and are also involved in blood clotting and in reproductive processes, cell division and differentiation.

What are vitamins?

Vitamins are organic compounds that the human organism cannot produce, or can only produce in insufficient amounts. Since they are indispensable (essential) for humans, vitamins must be ingested with foods. They are produced by plants and microorganisms and are thus mainly contained in plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, and cereals. They enter the animal organism via feed and are therefore also present in meat, fish, eggs, milk and products made from them.

What are minerals?

Minerals are inorganic food components that are found in plant-based and animal-based foods. Since the human organism requires them in different amounts, they are categorised into minerals and trace elements.

Risk of vitamin and mineral deficiency

In Germany, insufficient intakes of vitamins and minerals and resulting deficiencies are very rare in healthy people with a varied diet.

However, the risk of deficiencies increases when there is a low supply of vitamins or minerals, e.g., due to an unbalanced diet, weight-reducing diets, intestinal absorption (in the event of illness) or due to increased requirements (e.g., in pregnant and lactating women).

Risk of oversupply of vitamins and minerals

An oversupply of vitamins and minerals through their intake via normal dietary consumption of foods such as fruits, vegetables, bread, meat or cheese is nearly impossible. However, if highly dosed food supplements and fortified foods are consumed, this may lead to excessive intakes, meaning that the risk of oversupply with the micronutrients in question increases.

Maximum levels suggested by the BfR for using vitamins and minerals in foods

Since the additional intake of high amounts of vitamins and minerals increases the risk of undesirable health effects, the BfR has derived recommendations for maximum levels of vitamins and minerals PDF-File (478.3 KB) in food supplements and fortified foods. The recommendations aim to limit the nutrient intake via these two food groups to an acceptable level.

The maximum levels proposed by the BfR take into account the tolerable upper intake levels (ULs) of the respective nutrients derived by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The UL is the maximum level of total chronic daily intake of a nutrient from all sources judged to be unlikely to pose a risk of adverse health effects to humans. Furthermore, the dietary reference values derived by the D-A-CH societies and EFSA as well as the vitamin and mineral intake from the usual diet, determined in nutrition surveys (National Food Consumption Survey and EsKiMo Study), were also taken into account when deriving maximum levels.

Water-soluble vitamins

Fat-soluble vitamins


Minerals

Trace elements

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Opinion

 (2)
Date Title Size
15.03.2021
BfR Opinion No. 009/2021
Updated recommended maximum levels for the addition of vitamins and minerals to food supplements and conventional foods 478.3 KB
PDF-File
30.03.2020
BfR opinion No 017/2020
Ergosterol in fruit - a marker for mould toxins? 173.0 KB
PDF-File

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Other documents

 (31)
Date Title Size
15.03.2021
Tabel
The BfR's recommended maximum levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplement and fortfied foods 212.0 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Maximum levels for the addition of folic acid to foods including food supplements 702.2 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Proposed maximum levels for the addition of vitamin D to foods including food supplements 382.2 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Proposed maximum levels for the addition of phosphorus/phosphate to foods including food supplements 328.2 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Proposed maximum levels for the addition of chromium to foods including food supplements 353.5 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Proposed maximum levels for the addition of biotin to foods including food supplements 341.3 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Proposed maximum levels for the addition of vitamin E to foods including food supplements 429.5 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Proposed maximum levels for the addition of zinc to foods including food supplements 350.9 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Proposed maximum levels for the addition of manganese to foods including food supplements 390.5 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Proposed maximum levels for the addition of vitamin B6 to foods including food supplements 351.0 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Proposed maximum levels for the addition of chloride to foods including food supplements 319.4 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Proposed maximum levels for the addition of potassium to foods including food supplements 550.9 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Proposed maximum levels for the addition of silicon to foods including food supplements 337.3 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Maximum levels for the addition of vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and pantothenic acid to foods including food supplements 361.2 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Proposed maximum levels for the addition of iron to foods including food supplements 359.2 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Proposed maximum levels for the addition of magnesium to foods including food supplements 351.0 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Proposed maximum levels for the addition of vitamin C to foods including food supplements 408.5 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Proposed maximum levels for the addition of fluoride to foods including food supplements 324.6 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Maximum levels proposed for addition of molybdenum to foods including food supplements 347.4 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Maximum levels proposed for the addition of niacin to foods including food supplements 389.6 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Proposed maximum levels for the addition of iodine to foods including food supplements 469.9 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Proposed maximum levels for the addition of selenium to foods including food supplements 347.8 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Maximum levels proposed for the addition of beta-carotene to foods including food supplements 488.3 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Proposed maximum levels for the addition of vitamin A to foods including food supplements 416.4 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Proposed maximum levels for the addition of copper to foods including food supplements 328.4 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Proposed maximum levels for the addition of boron to foods including food supplements 347.7 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Proposed maximum levels for the addition of vitamin K to foods including food supplements 335.0 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Maximum levels for the addition of vitamin B12 to foods including food supplements 369.3 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Proposed maximum levels for the addition of sodium to foods including food supplements 327.5 KB
PDF-File
15.03.2021
Maximum levels proposed for the addition of calcium to foods including food supplements 482.4 KB
PDF-File
02.11.2016
BfR Concept
BfR Concept for the Fortification of Food with Vitamin D 1.2 MB
PDF-File

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Press releases

 (2)
Date Title Keywords
16.03.2021
11/2021
Maximum levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements and fortified foods food safety , food supplements , minerals , vitamins
18.03.2021
12/2021
If using salt, use iodised salt food , food safety , iodine, minerals , salt

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Communication

 (1)
Date Title Size
14.05.2021
BfR Communication No. 015/2021
Vitamin D, the immune system and COVID-19 244.9 KB
PDF-File

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