Glass bowl with colorful capsules in various shades of earth tones and yellow

LEGAL INFORMATION

Food Law, Health Claims, and More

As a customer, you have every right to expect comprehensive information about our products, their ingredients, and their properties. We would be more than happy to provide you with this information. However, we are subject to legal restrictions in this regard.

Dietary supplements are foods
From a legal standpoint, dietary supplements are classified as food.
The Food Supplement Regulation (NemV) defines food supplements as “a food that

  1. is intended to supplement the general diet,
  2. constitutes a concentrate of nutrients or other substances with nutritional or physiological effects, either on its own or in a mixture, and
  3. in dosed form, particularly in the form of capsules, lozenges, tablets, pills, and other similar dosage forms, powder sachets, liquid ampoules, bottles with dropper inserts, and similar forms of liquids and powders intended for ingestion in small, measured quantities.”
A hand is holding a cotton net filled with oranges

Health claims regarding food are generally prohibited

The production, sale, and promotion of food products are regulated by law. Strict guidelines apply in particular to advertising that claims health benefits. Since 2007, the European Health Claims Regulation (EC No. 1924/2006) has governed the use of nutrition and health claims on food products.

Health claims are statements that establish a link between a food or one of its ingredients and health, such as “Vitamin C supports cell protection” or “Calcium is good for your bones.”

Before the Health Claims Regulation took effect, such claims were generally permitted—provided they were scientifically substantiated and not misleading. The EU regulation has reversed this principle. Now, a ban applies, subject to prior authorization. This means that only health claims that have been reviewed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and expressly approved by the European Commission may be used.

Only a few health claims are permitted

In 2012, the European Commission published its first positive list of permitted health claims. This list specifies which health claims may be used for which foods (or food ingredients) and under what conditions. The wording is also regulated. For example, manufacturers may not state, “Vitamin C protects against colds,” but only “Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system.”

Of a total of over 44,000 health claims submitted, only about 270 have made it onto the positive list so far (as of 2022). The review of all submitted health claims will take years to complete.

A branch with spiky green fruit capsules against a light background

Plant Compounds on Hold

Legal uncertainty exists primarily regarding claims about plant-based substances, such as those contained in most TISSO products. The EFSA has officially postponed an assessment of these so-called “botanicals” for methodological reasons.

Given this context, it is not easy for dietary supplement manufacturers to provide their customers with comprehensive information about their products. If individual ingredients are not described in detail, this does not mean that they lack noteworthy properties. It simply means, for the time being, that there is no health claim approved by the European Commission for those ingredients.

There may be various reasons for this. For example, the health claims that have been submitted may not yet have been reviewed. Or, the EFSA may not have deemed the available scientific evidence to be sufficient. Or, there may be a lack of funding for extensive scientific studies.

With this in mind, some of TISSO’s product descriptions contain less information than we would like to provide. If you’d like to learn more about the natural ingredients used by TISSO, we recommend visiting a specialized, informative website, such as the Vital Substances Lexicon published by DocMedicus. Or you can ask your doctor or therapist.

Regardless of that, we are firmly convinced of the nutritionally significant properties of our nutritional products.

Coverage by Health Insurance Companies

Since dietary supplements are legally classified as food products and not as prescription drugs, they are generally not eligible for subsidies or reimbursement.

Statutory health insurance plans therefore generally do not cover these costs. Exceptions may apply under private health insurance and supplemental insurance plans, provided that dietary supplements are prescribed for therapeutic purposes.

So talk to your therapist and your insurance provider or your health benefits office.