EFSA's Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens has published two significant scientific opinions affecting the supplement sector. The tolerable upper intake level (UL) for selenium has been lowered from 300 µg/day to 255 µg/day. A separate opinion on the tolerable upper intake level for supplemental DHA has also been published. These opinions are pre-legislative signals, because EFSA UL revisions typically precede EU maximum level regulations by 12 to 24 months.

EFSA UL revisions carry significant commercial weight in the supplement industry. They do not create immediate enforcement obligations, but they are the pre-legislative mechanism through which the European Commission subsequently establishes binding maximum level regulations under the Food Supplements Directive. The selenium UL reduction from 300 µg to 255 µg per day matters for brands selling high-dose selenium products, because any formulation above 255 µg per daily serving is now outside the EFSA-recommended safe range. Label claims referring to dose proximity to the former 300 µg UL need reviewing.

Germany's BfR has already established stricter national selenium limits below the EU-wide EFSA UL. For brands specifically targeting the German market, Europe's largest supplement market, the BfR caps are the operative compliance standard, not just the EFSA UL. This pattern repeats across key supplement ingredients, where member-state regulators, particularly BfR, frequently act ahead of EU-wide standards. The DHA opinion, published in the EFSA Journal, establishes a UL for supplemental DHA intake, and brands should review the full opinion and confirm the specific figure before finalizing EU supplement product specifications.

• Selenium UL lowered from 300 µg/day to 255 µg/day, so any high-dose selenium formulation above this level is outside EFSA's recommended safe range
• A DHA UL opinion was published in the EFSA Journal in 2026, and brands should confirm the specific tolerable upper intake figure from the full opinion text
• EFSA UL revisions typically precede EC maximum level regulations by 12 to 24 months, so label review is urgent, not optional
• BfR (Germany) has stricter national selenium caps, so brands targeting the DE market should audit against BfR limits, not only the EFSA UL

Expandly's supplement onboarding includes a formulation review against current EFSA ULs and pending opinions before any EU marketplace setup begins, catching these pre-legislative signals before they become compliance obligations.