The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (DVFA) and the Danish Medicines Agency (DMA) are in conjunction targeting a select number of fitness outlets after learning that, “food supplements, sports products and medicines” were being sold illegally.
In addition to determining the legality of products on sale the probe would also scrutinize the paperwork of the gyms and fitness – which under Danish law must be registered to sell dietary supplements just as there is for companies that import dietary supplements and sell them on the internet.
The agencies advise fitness clubs unsure of their registration status to contact them or seek further information at www.foedevarestyrelsen.dk.
It is unknown exactly what kinds of supplements the agencies will go after.
Denmark has been proactive in taking action against supplements sold on the internet and other outlets without authorisation.
In July, the DVFA issued a consumer warning about food supplements containing black cohosh after becoming aware of several websites promoting the menopausal herb that is not approved for use in Denmark.
In that case it traced Danish language home pages with Danish web addresses to owners in France, the UK and the Netherlands and was working with agencies in those countries to investigate the matter further.
Black cohosh appears on a list of banned herbals in Denmark due to associations with liver toxicity but can be sold in some other European markets.