Health

A health claim creates the impression that there's a positive link between a food (or a component thereof) and health. Health claims can be about physical effects, psychological effects, slimming, weight management, or reducing health risks.

Health claims are prohibited, unless they're the same as the general requirements of Regulation (EC) No. 1924/2006 and a permit has been granted for the claim. This will then be included in Regulation (EC) No. 432/2012. When you place health claims on the product photo or in the description, please take the guidelines of the European Claims Regulation 655/2013 into account.

Here are examples of health claims that are not allowed:

• Claims that give the impression that not taking the food can negatively affect health
• Claims about how quickly or how much weight you can lose
• Claims that use recommendations from individual doctors or professionals in the field of public health and other legislation

Coronavirus

To prevent misleading a customer, it is not permitted to mention the coronavirus in the item photo, title, or description.

Check if your claim is allowed with this handy claim database: > Go to the claim database of the Keuringsraad KOAG/KAG

Precursors are substances that can be found in everyday household items and can be used for making explosives. That's why European legislation restricts (the use of) these substances. From 1 February 2021, European Regulation 2019/1148 on explosives precursors applies. This European legislation also applies in the Netherlands. Read more.

We use CE & ECE markings to show that your items meet the safety, health, and environmental requirements. This marking is even required for most items sold in the European Union (EU). Read more about CE marking.

bol chooses not to encourage the use of tobacco or soft and hard drugs, making it prohibited to sell the following items via bol:

• Tobacco and other smoking items that fall under the Tobacco and Smoking Products Act. Furthermore, bol goes beyond the law and it is also not permitted to sell cigarette makers or accessories with aroma, such as aroma cards, aroma filters, aroma rolling papers, and aroma liquids.
• Items that fall under the Opium Act.
• E-cigarettes, vaporizers, and all other items that can be used for the consumption of nicotine (or a nicotine-free substance), which create vapor via a mouthpiece. Parts and accessories for these items, including refills, cartridges, tanks, and kits, are also not permitted to be sold via bol.
• Pipes, water pipes, weed pipes, and bongs. Parts and accessories for these items are also not permitted to be sold via bol.
• Items that can be associated with the production and consumption of soft and hard drugs. These include (electric) grinders, joint sleeves & –rollers, rolling trays & boxes, and cannabis seeds.
• Whipped cream chargers.
  

The following items are allowed:

• Ashtrays
• Lighters
• CBD products, as long as they comply with the applicable laws and regulations in the Netherlands and Belgium
  

The following items are allowed, as long as they are not related to cannabis

• Electric herb grinders
• Cigarette & cigar boxes
  

It is forbidden to sell rolling papers and tips, because bol does not want to encourage the use of tobacco or soft and hard drugs. It is also not permitted to show photos of cigarettes or cigars with smoking accessories.

There are different types of medicines. You can sell General Sale (AV) medicines via bol if you have selling rights. For every medicine offered for sale (online) in the EU, there is a marketing authorization issued by the EMA (Europe) or the CBG (Netherlands). The approved medicines for human use and their marketing authorization can be found in the medicines information database.

It is not possible to sell Prescription Only (UR) medicines or Pharmacy Only (UA) medicines via bol.

The safety and health of our customers is our top priority. It is therefore important that partners selling teeth whitening products adhere to the legally permitted maximum percentage of hydrogen peroxide. Therefore, it is mandatory to specify the percentage of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) contained in the item under the 'percentage hydrogen peroxide H2O2' attribute.

There is a legal maximum daily dose for the free sale of melatonin (supplements). Items that can result in a daily dose of 0.3 milligrams or more of melatonin are considered medicinal products by the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (IGJ). Because these items fall under the Medicines Act, they are not suitable for selling via bol. Melatonin (supplements) with a maximum daily dose of up to 0.3 milligrams remain permitted. The IGJ considers these to be food supplements.

Daily dose < 0.3 mg melatonin

• Items containing a maximum of 0.299 mg of melatonin are classified as food supplements.
• Claims about sleep or rest are not permitted if the item exclusively contains melatonin; claims about other ingredients (if present) are permitted.
  

Daily dose ≥ 0.3 mg melatonin

• Items with a daily dose of 0.3 mg of melatonin or more are considered UAD products (Pharmacy and Drugstore Only) by the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (IGJ).
• To offer these items, Sales rights for medicinal products are required.
• These items must be registered in the medicinal product information database.

Do you want to offer food supplements for the Belgian market via bol? Then your organization must be registered with the FASFC (Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain) with a distribution authorization.

Guidelines in Belgium

All organizations active in the food chain in Belgium and having a warehouse in Belgium must be known to and registered with the FASFC. This includes offering notified food supplements.

Notified food supplements

Partners who wish to sell food supplements in Belgium may only sell notified food supplements. These are food supplements that must be officially registered with the Belgian government before they can be placed on the market. If you wish to offer food items that are not yet known to us as notified, you can send a list of these EANs, including notification numbers, to gezondheid@bol.com. We will check this list and approve it if the notifications are in order. It may take up to 2 weeks for your application to be processed, as this verification process involves a lot of manual work.

FASFC registration

You can register your organization with the FASFC via this link.

Offering food supplements in Belgium with a warehouse in the Netherlands

If you are a Dutch company with only a warehouse in the Netherlands and you wish to offer food supplements in Belgium from there, you do not need an FASFC registration. You can apply for selling rights for food supplements in Belgium without providing an FASFC registration, by demonstrating that your company is located in the Netherlands. You may only sell notified food supplements in Belgium.

How will your application to bol be assessed?

To offer notified food supplements to Belgian customers, you must therefore be able to demonstrate that you are officially registered with the FASFC or that your company is located in the Netherlands. For this, we need your FASFC registration number or business address.

Legal rules apply to the selling via bol of disinfectants. This includes items such as:

• Disinfectant hand gels
• Disinfectant wipes
• Hand alcohol

• Ctgb - for selling via bol in the Netherlands
• FOD - for selling via bol in Belgium
• ECHA - for selling via bol in all European member states

To ensure that all food and beverages on our platform are safe and pose no health risks to our customers, you must comply with legal requirements and regulations. This applies to all consumer target groups.

• Which items do we allow?
  • Food items (human & animal) with a shelf life of at least 100 days after arrival at our customers;
  • Food items for which a suitable product category is available;
  • The mandatory food content must be clearly displayed on the label in the language of the country where it is sold. This means, at minimum, in Dutch for items for the Dutch market and in French and Dutch for items for the Belgian market.
• Which items do we not allow?
  • Private label items from other supermarkets. For example, items from Albert Heijn's house brand;
  • Food items that require refrigeration or freezing;
  • Fresh or dried animal products intended for human consumption;
  • Items, including composite food packages, where the exact contents of the packaging are not specified;
  • Food and beverages containing CBD. CBD is only permitted in supplement form. See the CBD policy for more information;
  • Alcoholic beverages with an alcohol percentage higher than 1.2%. See the Alcoholic Beverages policy for more information;
  • Items with poorly substantiated product claims that do not fit within our policy on product claims.

Legal Obligations

In addition to the above guidelines that apply on the bol platform when selling food items, you must also be aware of the legal obligations that you, as a provider, must meet. Pay close attention to the following points:

• The GTIN/EAN of the item must be registered with GS1. The complete label content must also be available in a GS1 GDSN data pool. This is GS1 Data Source (Netherlands) or GS1 My Product Manager (Belgium). For more information, go to our page at GS1 Netherlands or here at GS1 Belgium.
• For items with animal ingredients, the manufacturer must be registered as a food business in the EU (issued by the NVWA in the Netherlands or the FASFC in Belgium);
• Food items from outside the EU must also be available in a GS1 GDSN data pool and must comply with the conditions for imported products from outside the EU. More information can be found here;
• Only approved food enhancers and additives may be used in the items. More information is available here from the NVWA.

Production Safety

To confirm that your items comply with the guidelines and do not involve food fraud, we may request production documentation, among other things. This must demonstrate compliance with HACCP, such as the food safety plan and hygiene regulations of the product manufacturer. As soon as there is a serious suspicion that a product range is dangerous for the customer, your product range may be temporarily taken offline while we assess the (potentially) dangerous items.

Food Supplements

Food supplements are only permitted if they comply with the above obligations and guidelines. Additional laws and regulations also apply:

• Food and beverages may only contain permitted amounts of certain food supplements (and may not become medicinal products). This also applies to food and beverages for specific consumer target groups, such as babies and toddlers, people with allergies or illnesses, and people who are losing weight. Stricter rules apply here for permitted amounts of certain food supplements.
• Please note: it is prohibited to claim on the label, packaging, or in advertising that the food supplement prevents, treats, or cures a disease.
• Selling food supplements in Belgium? See the self-care policy for more information;

Do you sell bulk packaging?

Ensure you make this clear to the customer. For example, by showing the item in bulk packaging in the main image and clearly stating ‘multi-pack’ or ‘bulk packaging’ in the product title. Also, make sure the product characteristic ‘Packaging Level’ is filled in, and that the official EAN belonging to the bulk packaging (as registered with GS1) is used.

Cannabidiol (CBD)

To sell items containing CBD (Cannabidiol) safely to our customers (and their pets), we have created additional guidelines. These guidelines apply in addition to existing laws and regulations. For CBD intended for human consumption, you are obliged to comply with the Food and Beverage policy.

CBD for human consumption

• CBD is a food supplement, a concentrated addition to normal nutrition, and is therefore only permitted in the product group for supplements.
• Food and beverages with added CBD are not allowed on our platform. See more information here about the Food and Beverage policy.
• Selling CBD supplements in Belgium? See more information here about selling food supplements in Belgium.

Additional conditions

• It is mandatory to give CBD items a GDSN GS1 registration, so it is clear that the items fall under the category of food supplements. Here you can find more information about GS1 registration in Belgium and the Netherlands.
• Active THC is not allowed, and it is mandatory to state how much THC an item contains. If you do not state this correctly, it will be considered food fraud.
• For the product characteristic ‘Type of herb or plant’, ‘CBD’ must be filled in. It is also mandatory to fill in a percentage for the product characteristic ‘THC content’.
• It is not allowed to make medical or health-related claims about an item. Check this carefully if you make a claim.
• The item may not contain an amount of active substances that would cause it to fall under medicines legislation. More information about this can be found here.
• PLEASE NOTE: for food supplements, strict requirements apply to labels on the packaging. These must be set up correctly with additional information about the name and conditions of use of the item.

CBD for animal consumption

For the safety of our customers' pets, it is important to adhere to the following conditions:

• Only approved hemp varieties may be present in CBD items for animals. See more information here about this legislation.
• It is mandatory to fill in all ingredients of the item in the designated product characteristic. These must match the actual content of the item.

To ensure that all medical devices on our platform are safe and do not pose health risks to our customers, it is important to adhere to all legal requirements and regulations. This applies to all consumer target groups. As a partner, you are always responsible for ensuring that your offer complies with these conditions.

What are medical devices and risk classifications?

A medical device is an item with a medical purpose for the user. This page has more information about the meaning of medical devices. Make sure you clearly understand when your item is a medical device. Please note, for selling via bol in Belgium, these selling rights still apply.

Each medical device is linked to a risk classification, an assessment that evaluates the risk for the customer. Every medical device must have a risk classification. Risk classifications have consequences for the item and the obligations for the partner. Based on the classification, different conditions arise that the item must meet, such as having the item checked by a notified body for a medium or high-risk class. Annex VIII of MDR 2017/745 contains the classification rules for the risk class.

Legislation for medical devices

For medical devices, we are currently in the transition from the Medical Device Directive (MDD) to the Medical Device Regulation (MDR). This means there is a transition period during which medical devices must comply with the new laws and regulations. The current product range must continue to comply with Directive 90/385/EEC and/or Directive 93/42/EEC. If a clear adjustment has been made to the design and/or purpose of the device, the medical device must immediately comply with the MDR.

The transition phase is set for 31 December 2028, until which a specific medical device may still be offered and sold:

· Class IIb devices that are non-implantable.

· Class IIa devices.

· Class I devices that are sterile or have a measuring function.

As of 1 January 2029, the selling via bol of the above medical devices falling under the old legislation will no longer be permitted on our platform.

It is therefore important that you, as a partner, know the risk class of your items. You can find this in the MDR under Annex VIII. If your items already comply with the new MDR legislation, then there is no issue, and your items can continue to be sold via bol. It is your responsibility as a partner to ensure that you will have a new valid declaration of conformity.

Product safety

To confirm that your items comply with the legislation, bol may ask you to provide certain information. This could include, for example, technical documents that demonstrate your adherence to the MDR conditions. Ensure that you always have these available, along with your declaration of conformity. If there is a serious suspicion that the product range is dangerous for the customer, your product range may be temporarily taken offline while the (potentially) dangerous items are assessed.

Selling rights

To offer medical devices on our platform, you need selling rights. You can apply for selling rights via the Partnerplatform.

Apply for selling rights

What is expected of you?

• Manufacturers, European representatives, and importers are required to register in EUDAMED. This is only possible with a GS1 EAN/GTIN. There are no costs associated with the registration.

• Unbranded medical devices are not permitted.
• It is not permitted to make health claims or offer medical measurements without complying with medical device legislation.
• Returned items may not be resold unless they are in their complete original packaging and the safety and effectiveness of the item are guaranteed.
• Storage of medical devices must take place in a temperature-controlled environment.
• For items intended for the Dutch market, a label and manual in Dutch are mandatory. For the Belgian market, a label and manual in Dutch and French are mandatory.

Where can I find more information?

In this infosheet, you will find more information about your obligations as a partner.

Keeping track of one's own health is becoming increasingly popular. Self-tests make it possible to gain better insight into your health. There are two types of tests:

• Home tests: home tests that consumers can use independently at home, such as pregnancy tests, ovulation, allergy, cholesterol, bladder infection, or corona tests. These are tests where a result is available within minutes. This category is open for selling via bol through sales rights.
• Tests with external (laboratory) analysis: tests where the consumer must send samples such as urine, saliva, or blood to a laboratory for analysis. We consider these tests unsuitable for selling via bol because self-tests must be able to be performed without direct or indirect help from a healthcare professional (European law 2017/746). Additionally, for these services, we have insufficient insight into the processing and protection of customer data in such processes/services.

Please note! Home tests that could have significant health consequences due to (potentially) incorrect diagnostics, such as for HIV or cancer, are prohibited from selling via our platform. This also applies to items that suggest this and/or are offered with other (disguised) wording.Obligations As bol, we believe it is important that customers buy reliable tests, which is why all offered tests must have the following:

• Valid CE marking (incl. a 4-digit code)
• Declaration of Conformity (DoC).
• Dutch user manual
• Correspondence address for questions (this may not be a PO box)

If you want to sell home tests, you must apply for medical device sales rights for them.