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EU Foods Supplements -
Alliance for Natural Health Article
EU Directives and Regulations still seriously threaten the continued
marketing and access by consumers and practitioners of many of the
food supplements we currently take for granted.
The Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) is spearheading opposition
to this legislation and leading international initiatives to restrict
proposed legislation in the pipeline that will dramatically limit dosages and
health claims.
This article, taken from the Alliance
for Natural Health - May/June 2006 ANH eBlast explains more about the ANH and
the issues it is fighting.
_____________
Policing of products
In the UK, policing by the UK Foods Standards Agency (FSA) of
the products affected by the withdrawal of UK derogation dossiers submitted
after 12 July 2005, coupled with the new spate of investigations by the UK
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) into herbal products
that are considered to fall under the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products
Directive (THMPD), has left many companies, selling into Europe, with a
vulnerable underside exposed. This is just a taste of things to come, but the
good news is that we have been successful at helping many of these companies to
find a way through most of the red tape using the ‘good’ science and our
knowledge of the law at our disposal. Critical to this is the need to preserve
the right to be able to sell within Europe food supplements that contain plant
extracts (botanicals), without these products being forced through the
quasi-drugs regime provided by the THMPD.
Cutting to the chase
Following are a list of facts:
-
Europeans
may lose access to thousands of food supplements if the ANH legal challenge
is not successfully fought in the High Court in London later this year or
early next. Many of you may have thought that the legal challenge that we
brought to the European Court of Justice between 2003/5 was over and that
nothing could be achieved by returning the High Court. Nothing could be
further from the truth – all of the gains made in the ECJ ruling will not
find their way into national laws UNLESS we go back to court! We need to
raise £40,000 – so please help us with a
donation.
-
European
nutritional practitioners are at great risk of losing many of the most
therapeutic products currently in their tool boxes. If you rely on
therapeutic substances or dosages, please understand that these – not your
low dose food supplements that populate supermarket and pharmacy shelves –
are most at risk from the regulators. The temporary derogation system that
stopped thousands of vitamin and mineral-containing food supplements from
being banned on 1 August 2005 will slowly and steadily become eroded away.
We know of several key dossiers that are in the process of being withdrawn
and others will follow. We need to help cement the long-term solution which
requires completion of our legal challenge and development of a new risk
assessment paradigm, something we have been pioneering for some time.
-
EU
legislation provides the templates for future international guidelines being
developed through the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The finalisation of
these guidelines will become a major threat to the even more liberal natural
health regimes, such as the US Dietary Supplement Health & Education Act of
1994. This month we have made an important scientific submission to a key
Electronic Working Group in Codex, through our friends in the US National
Health Federation, in turn the only health freedom organisation to have
delegate status in Codex. Much of the organised industry in the US is saying
that Codex will have no impact at any stage in the US – we disagree. Let’s
remember these same companies and associations said that the Food
Supplements Directive wouldn’t hurt US companies trading into Europe –
clearly we’re talking to different companies!
Two new movies to take a look at
The consumer ultimately controls the agenda. If we, as
consumers, stop buying therapeutic natural products and succumb to the seeming
desires of regulatory agencies and pharmaceutical companies, we will see natural
healthcare – as a viable alternative to orthodox medicine – collapse. This
defeatist attitude will have us all popping placebo cellulose, sold as
harmonised formulations, in harmonised bottles, in harmonised international
markets. This is not good for real healthcare. Critical to keeping the troops
motivated is good information and education, and films can be one of the most
powerful tools available today.
Those of you who haven’t yet seen Kevin Miller’s film about
Codex, please take should take 28 minutes of your time to educate yourselves.
The film is narrated by Oscar winning actress and ANH supporter, Dame Judi Dench
and is viewable as a movie from our website
homepage (but also
available as a DVD – click
here to buy). You’ll see interviews in it of Rob Verkerk and
other key players in the health freedom community.
But there are two new movies that you should know about.
Hummingbird Pictures has produced an independent feature film
entitled Side Effects, which has received a very enthusiastic
response from the holistic community. It stars US actress, Katherine Heigl of
Grey’s Anatomy, and is a satirical, insider’s look at the questionable
marketing practices of the pharmaceutical industry based on the
writer/director’s ten years experience working as a pharmaceutical sales
representative. View a trailer of the film and read reviews at:
http://www.sideeffectsthemovie.com
A companion documentary, Money Talks: Profits Before Patient Safety,
was created to give a more in-depth, academic perspective on the ethics of drug
promotion, and features the commentary of key opinion leaders throughout the
USA. You can view a clip of the documentary at:
http://www.sideeffectsthemovie.com/press/
How can you SUPPORT us?
The ANH needs to raise £40,000 to return to the High Court in
London, to finalise our lawsuit against the EU Food Supplements Directive. We
also still need your support to help fund the 14 other projects we are running
concurrently.
A reminder of the ways in which you can make sure your continued
support can make the difference:
-
DONATE MONEY – please consider doing this on a
regular monthly basis through a standing order (UK) or Worldpay (worldwide) or
sending a cheque (details below).
DONATE NOW
-
DONATE YOUR TIME – give nothing but spend a few
minutes forwarding this email to at least 10 people in your contact list who you
know will value the information and take action.
-
DONATE YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND CREATIVITY – by
organising a gathering of friends and family, or an event some sort, which can
be used to educate and inform people, as well as raise funds, for the ANH
Campaign. Where we can, time and distance allowing, we will do our best to
support your endeavours in any way possible.
Thank you again to those of you who give of your invaluable donations and
support on a regular and/or spontaneous basis. Your donations don’t have to be
large to make a difference.
Please send cheques (in GB pounds, US dollars or Euros)
payable to the ‘Alliance for Natural Health’ to the Alliance for Natural
Health, The Atrium, Curtis Road, Dorking, Surrey RH4 1XA, United Kingdom, or,
alternatively, please donate using
our secure server via our website.
_____________ end of ANH article
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