EU Backs Off Banning Natural Vitamins

Congradulations to Dr. Robert Verkerk, leader of the UK's Alliance for Natural Health - www.alliance-natural-health.org !!

Natural sources of vitamins and minerals, which could have been subject to banning in the EU will escape the strictures of the EU Food Supplements Directive (FSD). These ingredients will now be regulated as foods. This news is contained in new letter from the EU that reverses the position of the EC's legal unit given to ANH in March 2006 and upholds ANH's interpretation of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) 2005 ruling that Dr. Verkerk viewed as protective for natural source supplements.

The letter, received in the past few days, from Mr. Demetris Vryonides of the Legal Affairs Unit and Mr. Basil Mathioudakis, of the Food, Law, Nutrition and Labeling Unit, states: "We consider that wheat germ oil can be used in food supplements without having to be authorised and included on Annex II of the Directive. For similar reasons the dossiers on mixed carotenoids, food derived folates, [and two proprietary palm blends containing carotenoids and tocotrienols respectively] will not be processed further." The ANH had submitted many natural source products to the EU for inclusion in the "positive list" of allowed supplement ingredients. The letter indicates, in effect, that these ingredients will not be subject to banning.

Dr Robert Verkerk, ANH executive and scientific director, said "We are delighted to finally have this clarification from the European Commission on a point of law the ANH has been aware of since the ECJ ruling. The wider implications of this for the industry are farreaching and it effectively opens the door to functional foods and supplements containing nutrients derived from natural sources."

The US and EU regulate supplements differently, with the US taking the Constitutionally mandated Common Law approach that whatever is not prohibited is allowed; the EU's legal approach is essentially whatever is not permitted is forbidden. This limited victory for Health Freedom shows that engaging the regulatory system, as ANH has, can sometimes have beneficial results.