Foodwatch Warns Three Influencer Supplement Brands Over Ashwagandha Health Claims

Why Foodwatch Is Targeting More Nutrition, Naturally You and ESN

Consumer watchdog Foodwatch has sent formal warnings to three well-known German supplement brands — More Nutrition, Naturally You and ESN — over the way they market products containing ashwagandha, a plant extract also known as sleep berry or winter cherry. The group says the brands have used health-related claims about stress relief, better sleep and emotional stability that are not permitted under EU food law.

All three products sit in a fast-growing market for dietary supplements. More Nutrition was founded by influencer Christian Wolf, Naturally You is associated with fitness influencer Pamela Reif, and ESN belongs with More Nutrition to The Quality Group. Foodwatch argues that the companies either link the promised effects to the whole product rather than to approved ingredients, or use wording that goes beyond what European rules allow. More Nutrition and ESN reject the allegations; Naturally You had not responded to a request for comment at the time of the report.

Ashwagandha is popular in Ayurvedic tradition, but its safety profile remains contested. Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, the BfR, advises against taking it, especially for children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people with liver disease. Reported side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, dizziness, headaches, drowsiness and skin rashes, and there are indications of possible hormonal and immune-system effects as well as interactions with medicines.

Foodwatch's core complaint is not that ashwagandha itself is banned, but that the advertising goes beyond what EU rules allow and that risk warnings are hard to find — often buried on websites or in blog posts rather than shown in social media posts and product pages. The organisation also criticises German food-market surveillance as overstretched and calls for online monitoring to be centralised at federal level.

What the Ashwagandha Dispute Reveals About EU Supplement Oversight

The EU legal line More Nutrition, ESN and Naturally You are being tested against

Under the EU Health Claims Regulation, only authorised claims may be used in commercial communications for foods and food supplements. Plant-based ingredients such as ashwagandha sit in a particular legal grey zone: the European Food Safety Authority has not completed its assessment of botanical health claims, and a transitional list has been disputed in court for years. Foodwatch's position is that the advertised benefits are unlawful because they are attached to the entire product rather than to a specific approved substance, and because specific claims are not allowed for the ingredients used. Whether a court agrees will depend on how the advertising is read and what evidence the companies present.

That does not mean the companies are defenceless. ESN points to a July 2026 ruling by the Schleswig-Holstein Higher Regional Court, which found that ESN had sufficiently demonstrated the stress-reducing effect of the KSM-66 ashwagandha root extract used in its products. More Nutrition says it is reviewing the complaint and regards the challenged statements as permissible. Those defences create a real possibility that some claims survive while others are corrected.

Why the BfR warning changes the reputational stakes

Even if a health claim is eventually deemed lawful, the public-health warning from the BfR adds a separate layer of risk. Foodwatch is coupling its legal complaint with the claim that risk information is not visible enough. The BfR specifically advises vulnerable groups not to take ashwagandha and has recorded reports of side effects and possible liver damage. For influencer-led brands built on personal trust, the gap between the marketing promise — inner balance, recovery, focus — and an official risk warning is the most damaging element of the dispute.

For Pamela Reif and Christian Wolf, whose commercial power depends on audience credibility, this is a compliance story as much as a legal one. Even a partial loss could force more prominent warnings, toned-down social media claims and product-page changes across all three brands.

What Consumers Should Check Before Buying Ashwagandha Products

• Do not rely on Instagram posts or short promotional videos for safety information; open the full product page or website description, where risk warnings may appear far below the marketing claims.
• Treat stress, sleep and emotional-balance claims for ashwagandha products as promotional rather than proven, given that EU assessment of botanical health claims remains unfinished.
• Note the BfR warning: children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people with liver disease are advised against taking ashwagandha.
• If you use products from More Nutrition, Naturally You or ESN, check whether the packaging or product page displays clear risk warnings; if not, contact the brand or report the issue to consumer authorities.
• Watch for reported side effects such as nausea, dizziness, drowsiness or skin rashes, and stop use if they occur.