BBC NEWS
Vitamin controls backed by Europe
The European Court has decided to tighten rules on the sale of vitamins
and minerals.
The proposals will ban around 200 supplements from sale and put
restrictions on the upper limits of vitamin doses.
Some health experts wanted to see vitamins and minerals controlled in
the same way as conventional medicines.
But critics argued the new rules were unnecessarily restrictive, and
would deny consumers choice.
They're perfectly safe and they've been on sale for decades
Peter Aldiss, managing director of Holland and Barrett
Under the EU Food Supplements Directive, due to come into effect in
August, supplements will only be able to include vitamins and minerals
taken from an approved list.
However, manufacturers of products already on the market will have until
the end of December 2009 to change any of the banned ingredients to
ensure that their product can continue to be sold in the future.
Also, the ban on non-listed supplements will not apply at all to
vitamins and minerals normally found in or consumed as part of the diet,
which the Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) welcomed.
'Too restrictive'
The ban had been challenged by the Alliance for Natural Health (ANH),
the Health Food Manufacturers' Association (HFMA) and the National
Association of Health Stores (NAHS).
They argued the legislation would be too restrictive, and would threaten
thousands of perfectly safe products.
The directive was first approved by EU governments in 2002 and was
designed to tighten controls on the growing market in products sold
under the health food heading - natural remedies, vitamin supplements
and mineral plant extracts.
The HFMA and the ANH argued the directive was an unlawful restriction on
freedom to trade, that implementation would impose an unnecessary burden
on British business and there are no reasons to believe it is necessary
to protect consumers' welfare.
After reviewing the evidence presented by both sides, European Court of
Justice Advocate General Leendert Geelhoed said in April that the
directive infringed legal guidelines in his opinion.
Mixed reaction
However, the court pointed out that certain restrictions could be
justified by the protection of public health and considered the measures
in question to be necessary and appropriate for the purpose of achieving
that objective.
The British Dietetic Association backed the new plans.
About 99% of products will not be affected
A spokeswoman for the BDA
It is concerned about patients admitted to hospital suffering liver
failure and severe stomach problems after taking high doses of vitamins.
It said in some cases the supplements are preventing people getting the
correct treatment for other chronic illness.
Spokeswoman Ursula Arens said consumers should not be greatly affected
by the changes.
"About 99% of products will not be affected."
The ruling was also welcomed by Sue Davies, of the consumer magazine Which?.
She said: "It will ensure that products are safe, that they contain
forms of vitamins and minerals that offer some benefit, and that they
are clearly labelled."
HAVE YOUR SAY
The rules are well-intentioned but the priorities are wrong
Simon, UK
Peter Aldiss, managing director of Holland and Barrett, said he was very
disappointed by the decision.
"There are hundreds of nutrients which are already very safely on sale
with very strict laws in the UK.
"This directive purely just takes those nutrients out of the reckoning -
they're perfectly safe and they've been on sale for decades."
David Adams, director of HFMA, said the Prime Minister, who currently
holds the EU Presidency, should get the legislation rewritten to allow
the UK to include products on the market which would otherwise lie
outside the list - a call echoed by the Conservative Party.
The ANH said its lawyers had interpreted the directive's restrictions to
apply only to minerals and vitamins from synthetic sources.
Public Health Minister Caroline Flint, said government was concerned
that some of the provisions in the Directive could be "unduly
burdensome", particularly for small companies making these products.
"We have provided resources to help industry and small businesses supply
the evidence necessary to allow their products to continue to stay on
the market for the time being. This doesn't require them to do any new
testing or provide new data at this stage.
"The directive will also set maximum levels of vitamins and minerals in
food supplements. We believe that any maximum dosage level should be
based on scientific evidence. We will work with other member states and
the European Commission on this basis."
It will be possible to add products to the approved list and none will
be removed unless they are proved to be unsafe.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/4670971.stm
Published: 2005/07/12 14:57:02 GMT
© BBC MMV
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