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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Nutr.

Sec. Food Policy and Economics

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1686365

This article is part of the Research TopicNutritional Indicators and Implications for Human Health Volume IIView all articles

Micronutrient Inadequacy in Europe: The Overlooked Role of Food Supplements in Health Resilience

Provisionally accepted
Samantha ChristieSamantha Christie1David CrooksDavid Crooks2Rowena Thomson-SelibowitzRowena Thomson-Selibowitz2Ashley Green-WoolardAshley Green-Woolard3Konstantinos MantantzisKonstantinos Mantantzis4*
  • 1Council for Responsible Nutrition, UK (CRN UK), Coventry, United Kingdom
  • 2Nestle Health Science SA, Vevey, Switzerland
  • 3Amway Corp, Ada, United States
  • 4Bayer Consumer Care AG, Basel, Switzerland

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Micronutrient inadequacy is a significant issue in Europe, partly driven by an evolving food landscape. Food supplements play a critical role in offsetting these gaps, particularly in vulnerable groups, and contribute to the overall health resilience, well-being, and productivity across the life-course and population. However, both the extent and impact of micronutrient insufficiency and the essential role of food supplements remain underrecognized in public health, clinical training, and practice. We examine the reasons behind this widespread under-acknowledgement, along with selected evidence demonstrating the tangible benefits of food supplements in bridging micronutrient gaps and fostering health resilience. We discuss the health policy implications of incorporating food supplements into public health strategies to enhance nutritional status, help reduce the risk of chronic diseases, improve workforce productivity, and reduce healthcare costs across Europe. Ultimately, we call for an integrated approach to nutrition policy that fully recognizes and utilizes the value of food supplements in supporting a healthier and more resilient European population.

Keywords: Europe1, food supplements2, health resilience3, micronutrients4, nutritional gaps5, nutrition policy6, public health7, vitamin and mineral insufficiency8

Received: 15 Aug 2025; Accepted: 25 Aug 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Christie, Crooks, Thomson-Selibowitz, Green-Woolard and Mantantzis. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Konstantinos Mantantzis, Bayer Consumer Care AG, Basel, Switzerland

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary Material