Fortified food

This category of food is not explicitly defined in current legislation. Fortified foods are common foods to which vitamins, minerals, or other substances with nutritional or physiological effects — as listed in Parts B and C of Annex III to Regulation (EC) No. 1925/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the addition of vitamins and minerals and of certain other substances to foods — have been added.

They are consumed as part of the normal daily diet. Examples include packaged beverages fortified with vitamin C or breakfast cereals enriched with iron.

Legislative Requirements for Fortified Foods

Food business operators who manufacture, import, or market fortified foods are required to comply with all food law requirements. These include both European legislative requirements (regulations) and national legislative requirements (laws and decrees). A list of the most important European and national legislation relating to food is available on the website of the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA): Státní zemědělská a potravinářská inspekce | Informace nejen pro začínající podnikatele.

The issue of food fortification at EU level is further regulated by Regulation (EC) No. 1925/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the addition of vitamins and minerals and of certain other substances to food. Among other things, this regulation defines individual vitamins, minerals and their forms that may be added to food. This Regulation also lays down conditions for the use of other substances with nutritional or physiological effects and specifies certain principles to be followed in the labelling of fortified food so as not to mislead consumers.

The food business operator is fully responsible for compliance with all food law requirements.

Notification of Commencement of Activities by a Food Business Operator

Pursuant to Section 3, paragraph 1, subparagraph i) of Act No. 110/1997 Coll., on Food and Tobacco Products, every food business operator settled in the Czech Republic is required to notify the competent supervisory authority of the commencement, change, or termination of its activities.

The notification must include the following information, updated as of the date of any change:

1. First name, surname, or business name, registered office, and address of the establishment, or business name or name, registered office, and address of the establishment.

2. Identification number.

3. Subject of activity or business.

4. Specific activities carried out as a food business operator.

This obligation applies to all entities engaged in the production, processing, distribution, or marketing of food.

The notification of the commencement of activities as a food business operator must be submitted by sending a duly completed notification form to the competent supervisory authority — the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA). More information, including the necessary documents, can be found on the website Státní zemědělská a potravinářská inspekce | Informace nejen pro začínající podnikatele.

Announcement regarding the introduction of fortified foods to the market

According to Section 3d(1)(a) of Act No. 110/1997 Coll., on foodstuffs and tobacco products, a food business operator who manufactures or places on the market "fortified food" is required to notify the Ministry of Agriculture before placing this food on the market in the Czech Republic. This notification must be submitted in the form of the Czech text of the label, including the required information on the food that will be placed on the packaging or label.

This is only an information obligation. It is not a registration or approval process. The Ministry of Agriculture does not evaluate the safety, laboratory test results, composition, or labeling of the reported fortified food. The food business operator placing the food on the market is fully responsible for complying with all legislative obligations, including food safety and labeling.

To fulfill the notification obligation for placing fortified foods on the market, the Ministry of Agriculture has created an electronic Systém pro oznamování potravin (SOP), through which food business operators can submit the required notification.

Why use the SOP appliacation?

• Simple and quick notification process.
• There is an overview. There is also a record of notifications already submitted.
• There is an option to download confirmation of compliance with the notification obligation in both Czech and English.
• Option to enter a foreign ID number.
• A draft submission can be deleted.

It is recommended to use only the SOP application, as the Ministry of Agriculture plans to move to exclusive communication via SOP as part of its digitalization efforts.

Note: We recommend opening SOP in Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. The SOP may not function properly in Internet Explorer.