A WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING

THE EFFECT OF THE FOOD SUPPLEMENTS DIRECTIVE

HELP TAKE ACTION NOW!

If you take vitamins and minerals in any shape or form as part of keeping yourself healthy and fit and live in the European Economic Community, please read this!

A lot of people don't know but there is a raft of legislation going through the EEC designed to have a major impact on your right to take natural medicine. One of them is called the Food Supplements Directive. It's designed to set maximum levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements. It will have a horrible effect on the natural supplement industry and not only those who choose to use effective nutritional supplements but also those who are against the erosion of personal choice generally. The so-called natural levels for vitamins is based on the quirky findings of scientists employed by the European union and not set against the wider knowledge bases of established research papers. The really interesting question is why are they disregarding so much scientific and nutritional evidence out in the public domain and setting supplemental levels way below levels already considered safe?

Does it seem cynical to smell a rat and wonder if, in all this, the influence of pharmaceutical companies to protect their trillion dollar market in conventional drugs might be having an influence in the corridors of European power?

Anyway, The Health Food Manufacturers' Association (HFMA) has recently produced an Impact Assessment which quantifies the potential impact of the proposed legislation in the UK market, and identifies the following key risks: (The same effect will also hit other European states.)

- Well over £100m of sales may be lost
- Heavy impact on suppliers resulting in business closures
- NAHS survey estimates that over 700 independent health food stores could close resulting in approximately 4000 job losses
- Imports of higher potency supplements notably from Guernsey and Jersey that remain outside UK and EU medicines and food legislative regimes will increase from their current levels significantly. This would expose UK consumers to the dangers of unregulated supply

As a result of this the HFMA is calling for the following outcomes in Europe:

- The highest possible permitted levels for vitamins and minerals to be set in Europe on the basis of safety
- Provision of appropriate information to consumers
- A further review by the European Food Safety Authority of the safe levels for selected nutrients to take account of major new scientific studies.
- MPs can be a powerful resource for putting pressure on Gillian Merron MR the Public Health Minister, to ensure that she stands up for British industry in Europe.

They can also raise the issue with John Dalli, the new European Commissioner, and their colleagues in the European Parliament.

WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?

Please write to your local MP! We need to ensure that all MPs are made aware of the potential threat posed by the Food Supplements Directive and so we are asking you to help by writing to your local constituency MP setting out your concerns and encouraging them to raise the issue and take action on behalf of the British industry.

You can find your local MP by clicking on the link They Work For YOu and entering your postcode, or by calling the House of Commons information line on 0207 219 4272.

To help you, a draft letter is available for download at Information for members.

If you too have had enough of the sickening heavy-handed interference of Europe in the affairs of other states, please take the opportunity to join us in taking action. The more we can help European countries retain individual control over basic matters that relate to their own traditions and practices the more we can slow down the juggernaut of bureaucracy threatening ALL our sovereign rights.