Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, in a written answer on 29 July 2026, acknowledged the EU's high dependency on vitamin imports from China and outlined a series of ongoing and planned measures to reduce strategic vulnerabilities, while stopping short of announcing immediate financial support for domestic production. The answer, responding to a parliamentary question from MEPs Stefan Köhler, Herbert Dorfmann, Norbert Lins, Alexander Bernhuber, and Andreas Schwab (all PPE), confirms that the Commission considers vitamins essential for food security and health, noting their use in infant formula, food supplements, and animal feed. However, the Commission's assessment is that, despite concentrated imports, no disruptions to overall availability have occurred.
the European Preparedness Union Strategy, the European Food Security Crisis preparedness and response Mechanism, and the European Economic Security Strategy, which since the June 2023 European Council call to reduce critical dependencies has guided diversification efforts. Concrete future measures include a study on EU dependencies, potential support for production capacity through the future European Competitiveness Fund (announced 22 June 2026), simplified rules on feed additives, and enhanced risk monitoring. The EU Protein Action Plan and the Vision on Agriculture and Food are also cited as vehicles for resilience.
The response is largely declarative, reiterating existing strategies rather than introducing new financial instruments or binding targets. It signals that the Commission views the issue as a strategic dependency to be managed through diversification and competitiveness tools, not an immediate crisis. Institutional follow-up is expected via the Competitiveness Fund's design and the ongoing study, which could lead to targeted support for vitamin production if risks escalate. The answer leaves open whether the EU will treat vitamins as critical medicines or agricultural inputs requiring dedicated industrial policy.