Save our Supplements before it's too late

All consumers, young and old, will lose their freedom to purchase safe, higher dose supplements and herbal remedies of their choice. Consumer for Health Choice and NAHS are campaigning to help show the government that we are not happy about the new Directives, which affect this freedom of choice.

Europe has passed a new Directive on Food Supplements containing vitamins and minerals. This could lead to the banning of many safe and popular nutrients, and the imposition of unnecessary limits on the potency of many others. The Directive contains a list of nutrients that may be used in food supplements, but at present there are 300 safe and popular nutrients on the UK market that are not included in the list. This alone will affect thousands of products that will require reformulation, such as virtually all multi-vitamins.

Setting of maximum limits should only be done on the basis of safety; if a nutrient is safe there is no reason why the consumer should not be able to buy it. However, the Directive allows much lower levels to be set, leading to the loss of a substantial number of safe and effective higher dose supplements.

Europe has advanced significantly on a Directive on herbal products. This will force herbal remedies into the formal regulatory environment of pharmaceutical drugs and threatens the continued availability of many herb remedies and mixtures of herbs with nutrients.

Europe is now considering amending the Medicines Directive in such a way that threatens to bring many food supplements within the regulatory regime for pharmaceutical drugs, again threatening their continued availability in the UK.

How can you help?
Write a letter to your MP at : The House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA, or your MEP at: The European Parliament, Rue Wiertz 0147, Brussels, Belgium. To find out the name of your MP go to www.locate.co.uk/commons, or MEP go www.europarl.eu.int, or contact your local library.

Your letter need not be long and complicated, but do please consider making the following points:
Make sure you include your name, address and email address is available

Explain why you value your freedom to choose dietary supplements and/ or herbal remedies
Point out that UK law already requires that food supplements and natural remedies have to be as safe as food, and also appropriately labelled

State that you are supporting the Consumer for Health Choice and NAHS campaign to protect the right of consumers to have continued access to a wide range of natural health products

Request that your MP and MEPs;

• Oppose the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive which threatens many long-standing herbal remedies
• Oppose the proposed amendments to the Medicines Directive which threaten to reclassify food supplements and medicines requiring an expensive license
• Oppose the introduction into UK law of the Food Supplement Directive which would lead to a ban on many hundreds of safe nutrients and unacceptable limits on the potency of many more
• Thank you MP/MEP for their support and request that they take up your concerns with the relevant authorities

For more information please contact Whatmedicine? magazine on 01590 688593.