O/T food supplements - (hobby horse - sorry!)

[Guest guest]

Hi - having found ourselves at an impasse in the EU with vitamin

supplements, I'd hate to think of the same thing happening in US, this is an

important subject, - you still have time to " do " something.

 

The following is from Health Action Centre http://tinyurl.com/6dxmw anyone

with an interest in vitamins/supplements should take the time to look over

this.

 

Liz

 

The Codex Alimentarius (Latin for " Food Code " ) Commission would do well to

remember that its core mission is food purity. FAO's mandate, hence Codex's

mandate, is not to " dumb down " the potency-hence the health-optimizing

benefits-of nutritional supplements throughout the world, but that is

unfortunately where the Commission is still headed right now in certain

respects.

 

Given the strong safety record of nutritional supplements, derived from a

historically nutrient-dense world diet that has been 10,000 years in the

making, upper safe levels should be implemented and regarded the same way as

are the U.S. RDAs-as recommendations for consumers and as required

information to be listed by manufacturers but not as mandated potency limits

signed off by national governments and trade barriers that would block

international consumer access to health-optimizing levels of vitamin and

mineral compounds.

 

The overriding standards should be these: purity and truthfulness in

labeling along the lines of USP/NF, NSF and international GMP standards.

Products should state what they contain, contain what they state, the

natural or synthetic sources from where they are derived and whether these

sources are believed to be genetically engineered (GE or GMO) sources or

not.

 

Consumers have the right, and therefore the responsibility, for what they

purchase. National governments and Codex should focus or re-focus its

efforts on truthful labeling and product purity.

 

These issues are certain to be actively debated in Rome. Although vitamins

and minerals have been identified as food supplements in the Codex draft

guidelines, many of the delegations represented at Codex currently have

national standards that regulate supplements like drugs. This provides for

an interesting dynamic because those in favor of higher limits for nutrients

are clearly in the minority.

 

As a consequence, it of the utmost importance that consumers, supplement

manufacturers and our chosen representatives work together to ensure that

health freedoms are not lost to national interests that are totally out of

sync with the safety and benefits of dietary supplements.

 

Once Codex standards and guidelines are ratified in Rome, these regulations

will be recognized worldwide and will be the accepted norm in ensuring fair

trade practices and protecting consumer health. It is therefore incumbent up

on us to voice our opposition to any guidelines (or " regulations " ) that

would restrict the availability of a wide array of health-enhancing and

innovative supplements.

 

If you concerned about preserving your health freedoms and are worried that

international regulations could severely restrict your access to

supplements, we encourage you to write to Dr. Barbara Schneeman and also to

your elected officials. Tell them that you are opposed to any international

regulations that would impact the status of supplements as regulated by the

Dietary Supplement Health and Education act of 1994 (DSHEA).

 

In the words of Thomas Jefferson, " The price of freedom is eternal

vigilance. " We must always be on guard to ensure our health freedoms are not

taken away.

By James Gormley and Jim Roza

 

To protect your freedoms, consider supporting Citizens for Health

(http://www.citizens.org/) with a contribution and please consider asking

your favorite supplement companies to please do so, as well. Also find out

about the good work being done in Europe by the Alliance for Natural Health

(http://www.alliance-natural-health.org/).