We read ten resveratrol labels: the EU 150 mg cap only applies to two

We read the labels of ten resveratrol supplements sold in Spain. We do not name brands: we care about the category. The finding was not what we expected.

The figure the industry repeats

We started from the figure almost everyone in the sector repeats: the European Union sets a maximum of 150 mg of trans-resveratrol a day. That is true, but only for synthetic and fermentation-derived trans-resveratrol, which share an entry on the Union list in Regulation (EU) 2017/2470. Adults only. With a mandatory warning to seek medical supervision if you take medication.

Eight of the ten use something else

Eight of the ten use plant-derived resveratrol: seven from Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed) and one from grape. Recital 4 of Regulation (EU) 2022/672 recognises that resveratrol extracted from that root has a history of consumption before 15 May 1997. It is not a novel food: neither the 150 mg maximum nor the mandatory medication warning applies.

Same molecule, two rules

The result is that the same molecule, with the same interaction potential EFSA flagged, reaches the consumer with or without a warning depending on its origin. Only four of the ten carry the warning.

How we measured it

Full methodology, so you can repeat it:

• Selection by visibility: 4 from the Amazon.es ranking and 6 from Google.es.
• Of the six from Google, four were ads. We included them and we say so.
• Dated screenshots with a digital fingerprint of each listing or label we read.
• Calculations against the manufacturer's maximum posology, not a «typical» dose.

Of the two the cap does apply to

Of the two products the 150 mg cap does apply to: one stays within it. The other exceeds it by more than threefold — on the printed maximum posology.

Four things to check on your bottle

• Origin: synthetic or fermentation, or plant extract (Polygonum / grape)?
• If it is Novel Food (synthetic or fermentation): does the maximum daily posology exceed 150 mg?
• Does it carry a warning for people on medication?
• Is the dose you take the bottle's maximum, or a lower one? The legal cap is judged on the maximum.

What goes against us

We sell a supplement with trans-resveratrol (Veri-te®, from microbial fermentation, 150 mg). We are an interested party. That is why we do not name third-party brands, and why we publish the method.

And a scientific limit of the molecule: oral bioavailability of the unmetabolised compound is below 1 % (Walle, 2011; Walle et al., 2004), even though absorption is around 75 %. Very little reaches the blood as free resveratrol.

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Sources

• Regulation (EU) 2017/2470 (Union list of novel foods) and amendments (EU) 2021/51 and (EU) 2022/672
• Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 on novel foods
• EFSA opinions on trans-resveratrol (interactions and conditions of use)
• Walle, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2011 — resveratrol bioavailability
• Walle et al., Drug Metabolism and Disposition, 2004 — high absorption, very low oral bioavailability

This page is information about the European regulatory framework for food supplements and a reading of labels. It is not medical advice. Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. If you take medication, ask your pharmacist or doctor.