Which limits apply to supplements in the EU?

There is no single EU table for every supplement parameter. Salmonella and E. coli follow food hygiene rules, while counts usually follow pharmacopoeial guidance and the retailer's own specification. We state the limit used for every result.

Can I combine microbiology with heavy metals?

Yes. Most brands run both in one submission, which is why our safety and purity panel covers them together.

What if a result fails?

We report it with the method and limit so you can act. Depending on the parameter, the next step is a confirmation test, a retained-sample check or a raw material trace-back.

Microbiological testing for supplements

Updated 16/09/2026

Microbiology is the panel that decides whether a batch is safe to sell. It is also the one most often run too narrowly, with a total count and nothing else.

Key points

A defensible panel covers total counts, yeasts and moulds, plus specific pathogens.
Salmonella and E. coli are absence tests, not count tests.
Powders, botanicals and gummies each fail for different reasons.
Results are only valid for the batch and the packaging that was tested.

The standard panel

Most retail specifications for food supplements ask for the same core set. Anything narrower tends to come back with questions.

Total aerobic microbial count
Yeasts and moulds
Enterobacteriaceae or bile-tolerant Gram negative bacteria
Escherichia coli, absence in 1 g
Salmonella, absence in 25 g
Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus for higher-risk formats

Why formats fail differently

Dry powders and capsules usually fail on mould or total count, driven by the raw material and by storage humidity. Botanicals arrive with a natural microbial load, which is why untreated herb powders need tighter incoming control.

Gummies and liquids fail on water activity. If the formulation allows growth, a passing result at production says little about the product six months later, so stability data belongs alongside the release test.

Sampling matters more than in chemistry

Microbial contamination is rarely evenly distributed, so a single unit can miss it. Labs work from sealed retail units to keep the result defensible, and the sample must reflect the batch rather than the first unit off the line.

How we run it

We route microbiology to the accredited partner lab whose methods fit your format, run the full panel your target retailer expects, and report each organism with its method and limit in the certificate of analysis.

Questions

Which limits apply to supplements in the EU?: There is no single EU table for every supplement parameter. Salmonella and E. coli follow food hygiene rules, while counts usually follow pharmacopoeial guidance and the retailer's own specification. We state the limit used for every result.
Can I combine microbiology with heavy metals?: Yes. Most brands run both in one submission, which is why our safety and purity panel covers them together.
What if a result fails?: We report it with the method and limit so you can act. Depending on the parameter, the next step is a confirmation test, a retained-sample check or a raw material trace-back.