Codex- Update on Global Fight for Health Freedom

[Guest guest]

I admit this article is a little confusing, but I thought it

important enough to send out... If nothing else, to educate people

regarding the global push by big pharma, big government, etc., to

block the peoples access to alternative health resources such as

vitamins and supplements...

Be Well,

Misty L. Trepke

http://www..com

 

Codex 2003 –

What Really Happened?

The Codex Committee on Nutrition and Food for Special Dietary Uses

(Codex for short) met in Bonn this year from 3-7 November, to

progress their proposals to ban information and health-related

messages concerning vitamins and minerals and also to reduce the

maximum permitted amounts of these essential nutrients to levels at

which they would no longer be effective.

 

Codex has been trying for the last seven years to introduce these

banning regulations, but thanks to the combined protests of

thousands of people from the health movement behind Dr. Matthias

Rath and the Dr. Rath Health Foundation, they have been prevented

from carrying out their unethical plans.

 

Codex has been infiltrated by pharma-cartel interests, whose

influence extends beyond the official delegations and into some of

the so-called natural health freedom organisations who have observer

status at the Codex meetings. Some of these organisations were

already celebrating victory before the Codex meeting ended, based

upon flawed analysis of the proceedings. Such claims subsequently

proved to be unrealistic, indicating the level of influence that the

pharma interests wield within these organisations.

 

The Dr. Rath Health Foundation remains one of the few truly

independent, natural health promoting organisations that actively

participate in public health policy debates worldwide and is thus

able to provide clear, objective and accurate analysis of the events

at the 2003 Codex meeting.

So what really happened?

The " Proposed Draft Guidelines for Vitamin and Mineral Food

Supplements " were advanced to Step 5 of an 8-step process at the

2003 session, after a high level of agreement amongst the

delegations on most of the sections. Draft proposals can be adopted

as full Guidelines at step 6 in this process, if there is unanimous

agreement within the Codex committee. Far from declaring victory

therefore, continued vigilance and action is necessary. The fight

goes on.

 

The most significant aspects of the current Codex proposals are as

follows:

 

The South African delegation's bold attempt to introduce positive

support for natural health therapies into the Codex machinery was

thwarted by the committee. South Africa proposed that Codex should

highlight the role vitamins and minerals play in the prevention of

chronic diseases, as laid out in the WHO's report " Diet, Nutrition

and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases " This expert consultation

document clearly confirms that nutritional intervention can reduce

the incidence of diabetes, heart attacks, high blood pressure and

many other chronic diseases that have reached epidemic proportions

worlwide.

Ignoring the recommendations of its own parent body (the WHO) the

Codex committee chose to ignore the South African proposals.

The South African delegation has, however, been asked to coordinate

a working group that will develop proposals for new and revised

nutrient reference values (figures for average daily intake

requirements amongst normal populations - NRV's for short) that may

form part of the establishment of the upper safe levels limits (see

below). The inclusion of NRV's in this process will be debated again

at the next Codex meeting in 2004.

Comment : We should all applaud the excellent work done by South

Africa and continue to give their delegation and the other

delegations supporting their position, all the help and support they

need to ensure that the level of scientific knowledge and evidence

that goes into the setting of NRV's truly reflects the reality that

vitamins, minerals and other natural substances can prevent common

diseases, as set out in Dr. Rath's declaration at the World Summit

in 2002 entitled, " Health For All by the Year 2020™ "

 

The Codex committee spent so long arguing about other matters on

their agenda that they ran out time to consider the proposals on

health claims. This debate has therefore been postponed until next

year.

Comment : The extra time that this development offers the health

freedom movement to continue the fight against Codex should not be

wasted.

 

The idea that recommended daily allowances (RDA's) should form the

upper limits for vitamin and mineral dosage levels has finally been

rejected by the Codex committee.

Comment : A positive move for natural health. RDA's represent merely

the minimum daily intake level for vitamins and minerals for the

avoidance of deficiency disease problems and the idea that RDA's

should form the upper limits for these nutrients has always been

ridiculous.

 

The Codex committee decided that their vitamin and mineral

Guidelines will apply in jurisdictions that regulate these

supplements as foods, whilst removing the option for national

authorities to make a regulatory choice between food and drug law

for regulation of these supplements.

Comment : This may indicate that national authorities that currently

regulate these products as drugs will continue to be able to do so.

Countries will not however be able to change regulatory approaches

for supplements once these Guidelines are enacted. Yet another good

reason to continue the battle to protect free access to essential

vitamins and minerals worldwide.

 

The sources of vitamin and minerals to be used in supplementary

products should be safe and bio available forms as laid down by

FAO/WHO standards or other recognized international or national

standards.

Comment : The possibility that this provision may lead to arbitrary

restrictions on the available sources, as was the case with the

provisions of the EU's Food Supplements Directive, cannot be

discounted.

 

The influence of the EU within Codex has grown measurably this year

and their delegation is trying forcefully to persuade Codex to adopt

the framework for vitamin and mineral regulation, already laid down

in Europe, on a worldwide basis.

Comment : The EU will become a full member of Codex in 2004, which

makes support for and implementation of the Dr. Rath Health

Foundation EU-Referendum goals more important than ever. The EU will

act on behalf of 25 countries in next year's Codex meeting.

 

The maximum daily dosage level for vitamins and minerals is to be

set by reference to " upper safe levels " established by scientific

risk assessment.

Comment : This was the section upon which most of the `victory for

health freedom' claims were based. At first sight, the abandonment

of reference to RDA levels in setting upper limits for vitamins and

minerals seems to be a victory. In reality, the proposed terms upon

which upper safe limits may be set are open to wide interpretation

and manipulation and could still result in arbitrarily low upper

limits that are not much better than RDA levels.

 

This approach is being pioneered by the Australian delegation who

will probably be asked to chair the committee responsible for

setting upper safe limits, if this section is agreed. It is

therefore important to know that Australia already regulates vitamin

and mineral supplements as drugs and not as foods.

There is no scientific justification for any upper limits to be set

for vitamin and mineral intake, but if we do have to have them, let

them be based on true science and real observed effects. The role of

South Africa (see earlier comments) will be pivotal here.

 

Conclusions : The influence of the health freedom movement and the

work of the South African delegation to Codex have brought about a

number of victories for natural health freedom this year. At the

same time, whilst some completely absurd ideas like using RDA levels

as upper limits have finally been removed, this year's Codex meeting

has accelerated the move toward overall proposals that may have a

very damaging effect on the availability of essential vitamins and

minerals worldwide in the future.

 

It is therefore of paramount importance that all those interested in

preventing free access to these vital substances from being

compromised remain vigilant and engaged in the fight. The Dr. Rath

Health Foundation is leading the continued resistance to Codex plans

and calls for a united effort in pursuing the goal of vitamin

freedom for all.

 

We have won some skirmishes but the main battle goes on!