A dietary supplement, also known as food supplement or
nutritional supplement, is a preparation intended to supplement
the diet and provide nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals,
fiber, fatty acids, or amino acids, that may be missing or may
not be consumed in sufficient quantities in a person's diet.
Some countries define dietary supplements as foods, while in
others they are defined as drugs or natural health products.
Supplements containing vitamins or dietary minerals are included
as a category of food in the Codex Alimentarius, a collection of
internationally recognized standards, codes of practice,
guidelines and other recommendations relating to foods, food
production and food safety. These texts are drawn up by the
Codex Alimentarius Commission, an organization that is sponsored
by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United
Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO). European Union
The European Union's Food Supplements Directive of 2002 requires
that supplements be demonstrated to