Three competition supervision proceedings launched against companies selling food and dietary supplements
Budapest, 12 September 2025 – The Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) has launched three competition supervision proceedings against undertakings selling food and dietary supplements. The authority suspects that the undertakings promote their products using health-related claims that are either unsubstantiated or insufficiently justified, and in some cases even attribute prohibited therapeutic effects to the products.
The GVH initiated proceedings against BGB Interherb Élelmiszer Kereskedelmi Kft., Swan Med Hungary Kft., and Nutrisslim d.o.o. of Slovenia. According to the authority’s preliminary assessment, the companies may have engaged in unfair commercial practices by employing prohibited or misleading statements that unjustifiably highlight alleged health benefits.
The undertakings are suspected of promoting their food, dietary supplement, and, in the case of BGB Interherb, cosmetic products using health-related claims that do not comply with applicable sectoral regulations. Furthermore, they allegedly attribute or imply that the products have disease prevention, treatment, or curative properties.
In addition, BGB Interherb and Swan Med reportedly marketed certain products by referring to endorsements from healthcare professionals, which may also constitute unfair commercial practices. Swan Med is further suspected of using marketing messages for its “DotsDiet” products that could suggest that a balanced and varied diet does not provide adequate nutrition, and of violating sectoral rules concerning nutrient composition claims.
Nutrisslim is suspected of unlawfully displaying the EU organic production logo and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) logo in its commercial communications, as well as of misleading consumers regarding the lawful marketing, environmental impact, and consumer ratings of its products by displaying only positive reviews.
The GVH reminds businesses that advertising claims related to food and dietary supplements — including those on nutrient content or health effects — are directly regulated by EU law. In addition to complying with consumer protection provisions, companies must also observe specific sectoral legislation, which stipulates that:
- therapeutic effects may not be attributed to such products;
- health-related claims may be made only within narrow limits and in conformity with strict EU standards, supported by adequate evidence.
The GVH also highlights that the following constitute “blacklisted” unfair commercial practices:
- falsely claiming or implying that a product may be lawfully sold;
- misrepresenting consumer reviews or social media recommendations.
The initiation of these proceedings does not imply that the companies have committed the suspected infringements. The procedures aim to establish the facts and, where appropriate, confirm the alleged unlawful conduct. The statutory timeframe for each proceeding is three months, which may be extended twice, each time by up to two months, if justified. As required by the Competition Act, the period between the GVH’s request for information and its fulfilment by the parties does not count towards the procedural time limit.
The case numbers in the official records are: VJ/31/2025., VJ/32/2025., VJ/35/2025.
GVH Communications
Further information:
Bálint Horváth, Head of Communications +36 20 238 6939
Katalin Gondolovics, Press Officer +36 30 603 1170