For decades, a supplement made in New Zealand for a customer in Dubai or Shanghai has had to satisfy New Zealand’s food rules as well as the buyer’s. The Government now proposes to drop the first half of that test, and the industry is putting a $500 million price tag on the difference.
Dietary supplement exporters would only have to meet the rules of the country they are selling into under regulatory changes proposed by Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard.
The proposal would let exporters make therapeutic claims in line with importing country requirements. It would also exempt export-only products from New Zealand’s compositional rules, including those covering food additives and maximum daily doses of vitamins and minerals.
Most exporters currently have to comply with New Zealand’s labelling and composition rules on top of those of the destination market, even when the product will never be sold here. The changes target the Dietary Supplements Regulations 1985.
“The changes would prevent unnecessary double-up by requiring exporters to only meet the rules of the importing country,” Hoggard says.
“It’s a common-sense change strongly supported by industry and would help to level the playing field for a rapidly growing industry, without compromising on consumer safety.”
Natural Health Products New Zealand (NHPNZ) says the reforms could unlock up to $500 million a year in additional exports for a sector already worth $2.3 billion annually.
“This will be a game changer for our industry,” says NHPNZ government affairs director Samantha Gray.
“Without a doubt, this will free up exporters from decades of red tape, saving time and money. It means New Zealand businesses, ranging from innovative start-ups and SMEs to large enterprises, can better tap into fast-growing markets across Asia, the Middle East, North America, and Europe.”
NHPNZ puts the global dietary supplements market at $300 billion and says it is growing faster than conventional packaged foods.
Under the proposed framework, manufacturers could formulate and label export-only products to suit the destination market alone. Products that meet only an importing country’s rules could not be sold in New Zealand.
NHPNZ says this would help companies commercialise locally developed research and ingredients, protecting intellectual property and supporting skilled jobs in manufacturing, R&D and export services. It also ties the reform to the Government’s target of doubling exports by value over the next decade.
The changes are not yet in force. Hoggard says updated regulations are being drafted and will go back to Cabinet for approval “in due course”. Some technical amendments to domestic regulations are also planned.
The proposal follows exemptions for food exporters announced last year, when the Government signalled the dietary supplement sector would be next. MPI ran targeted consultation in November 2025 with the sector’s largest industry body, which represents 80% of the dietary supplements sector, and says it received strong support.
Gray says the detail and the timing now matter most.
“Our priority now is getting the regulations right and putting them into effect without further delay,” she says. “Exporters urgently need a clear, workable pathway across the full range of dietary supplements.”
She says the industry will keep pressing for further reform.
“A lack of regulatory reform over many years has left us lagging behind international trading partners. The fact that our sector has grown to its current scale is a credit to the people backing it.”
