Guest guest Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 Codex Alimentarius: this topic appears periodically on this list. This is another one of those issues that are wrapped up in much disinformation. I recently came upon a document from the American Herbal Products Association (http://ahpa.org) that does a great job of explaining the issue. What follows is the Quick Facts on Codex sidebar that can quickly explain the situation. For the full text article (8 pages) please see: http://tinyurl.com/2htoqg ____________________ Quick Facts on Codex: Codex Alimentarius was founded in 1963 by the UN's FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) and the WHO. The US is a party to Codex. Codex adopted international guidelines on vitamin and mineral food supplements this month. (July 2005) The effect of these guidelines is that the US (and all countries in Codex) may be required to allow the import of all vitamin and mineral supplements that conform to the new guidelines. Codex can affect a country's domestic laws by forcing them to be relaxed, but only if those laws are more restrictive than a Codex standard or guideline. The Codex vitamin and mineral guidelines will not have a direct or immediate effect on US domestic law since US law is less restrictive than these Codex guidelines. When Codex sets maximum levels on vitamins and minerals it will do so based on science. The rights of American consumers are protected by DSHEA — and only the US Congress can amend US laws. _________________________ This document does a good job of explaining some of the issues surrounding Codex, but also states over and over that we have little to worry about, at least from Codex. Rather, the AHPA document states: The rights that are protected in DSHEA, however, continue to be challenged and the dietary supplement industry and consumers must maintain their vigilance. There are several federal and state legislators, as well as organizations like the American Medical Association, that continue to advocate for more restrictive laws that might have the effect of reducing consumer choices. -- Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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