Multivitamin
A multivitamin is a blend of vitamins and minerals at doses around the European reference intake. No authorised claim exists for the product as a whole; claims apply per nutrient and only at a demonstrated amount. For most people on a varied diet, such a blend adds little.
What is inside and how to read it
A multivitamin usually holds the thirteen vitamins and a selection of minerals, mostly at amounts around the EU NRV — the same reference value shown on every nutrient page on this site. The label gives an absolute amount per nutrient and a percentage of that reference. That percentage is the only thing letting you compare two products. What is not printed matters just as much: which nutrients are missing, and in what chemical form the rest is included. We sell no products and assess no brands, so this is explanation and not a buying guide. Watch the unit as well: vitamin A appears in µg RAE, vitamin B9 in µg DFE and vitamin B3 in mg NE.
Why no claim exists for the whole
Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 holds no authorised wording for a multivitamin as a product. Claims exist per nutrient — about vitamin C and the immune system, about magnesium and fatigue, about iron and oxygen transport — and may only be used if the product contains that nutrient in a demonstrated amount. Packaging speaking about energy, resistance or vitality in general is therefore doing something other than quoting a claim. That distinction is not cosmetic: it is precisely the line the regulation draws. The same applies to imagery: an exercising figure on the pack is not a claim, yet it steers the reader the same way. The regulation governs the sentence; the impression forms on the front.
The one exception that applies widely in the Netherlands
For one nutrient a general advice to certain groups does exist in the Netherlands: vitamin D. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises supplementation for women from fifty, men from seventy and people who are rarely outdoors, among others. That is because the body's own production stalls through the winter half-year and food supplies only part. Note that this is advice about one specific nutrient, not about a blend of thirty. In marketing that difference usually vanishes within two sentences. Our own vitamin D page names the reference value of 15 µg per day alongside it, which comes from the EFSA AI and not from the EU NRV.
When a multivitamin adds little
On a varied diet with vegetables, fruit, wholegrain cereals, nuts, seeds and a protein source at every meal, the reference values on this site are reached in practice. Our own nutrient pages show it: one bell pepper covers vitamin C, eighty grams of oats covers much of the magnesium, two servings of oily fish cover iodine and selenium. A blend on top of a pattern that already works changes little — except the monthly outlay, and that is a result too. Another example from our table: Brazil nuts supply 1917 µg selenium per 100 grams against a reference of 55 µg. Individual foods can therefore swing far wider than any blend.
When the question is genuinely fair
There are situations where the conversation makes sense: a fully plant-based pattern, a long and heavily restricted diet, a demonstrated low value, or a medical reason. In all of those the question belongs with a GP or dietitian, with a measurement attached, and not with a coach or a website. What we do in a programme is establish the base before anything gets added. A multivitamin repairs no skipped breakfast and no week with four evening appointments and zero vegetables. And if something does get added, the order as far as we are concerned is: measure first, then one nutrient, and only after that possibly a blend.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a multivitamin?
On a varied diet the European reference values are reached in practice and a blend adds little. On a restricted pattern or with a demonstrated low value, it is a question for your GP.
May a multivitamin make health claims?
Not as a product. Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 carries claims per nutrient, and they may only be used if the product contains that nutrient in a demonstrated amount.
Which nutrient is advised separately in the Netherlands?
Vitamin D. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises supplementation for certain groups, including women from fifty, men from seventy and people rarely outdoors.
How do you compare two multivitamins?
Look per nutrient at the percentage of the reference intake on the label, and note which nutrients are missing. We sell no products and recommend no brand.
Sources
- EU NRV — Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex XIII (accessed 26 August 2026)
- EFSA AI (accessed 26 August 2026)
- Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 (accessed 26 August 2026)
- Netherlands Nutrition Centre (accessed 26 August 2026)
Please note: This is general information about nutrition, not medical advice. If you have symptoms or suspect a deficiency, discuss it with your doctor. We do not sell supplements and have no commercial interest in any brand.
Last updated: .
Written by Dennis, founder of Dcraft Of Fitness.