Being unaware of the risks, clients for several years could buy dietary supplements that were dangerous to their health. The audit of the Supreme Audit Office (NIK) showed that the system of supervision over the introduction of such products to the market did not provide consumers with adequate protection.

The Chamber examined whether in 2017-2020 the authorities responsible for supervising dietary supplements placed on the market provided consumers with an appropriate level of health safety.

According to the results of the latest audit of the Supreme Audit Office, in 2017-2020 nearly 63,000 notifications about the introduction (or an intention) to market of a new dietary supplement were submitted to the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate. It analyzed only 11% of them, and some products were verified in terms of their composition whether they did not contain prohibited substances, while other investigations were initiated to determine whether the products are safe for health.

NIK warns that Poles are dealing with a serious problem; data show rapid growth of the popularity of those products. A total of 9-12 000 new dietary supplements (3-4000 per year) were reported in GIS in 2013-2015 compared to already 62 808 in 2017-2020. One of the most important reasons for the increase in demand was advertising, especially on television.

The growth of their popularity, however, was not related to increasing awareness of Poles about such products and how they differ from OTC drugs, i.e. over-the-counter drugs. Bearing it in mind, the Ministry of Health had prepared a bill with a proposal to introduce a fee for advertising dietary supplements, which would be paid to the account of the competent tax office. However, the ministry resigned from this idea, which was unjustified, according to the Supreme Audit Office.

Adrian Andrzejewski