European legislation
that seeks to reduce the range of nutritional and alternative
healthcare products available in the UK is to be reviewed
by the European Court of Justice.
If the European court rules that
the European Commission has overstepped its authority, the
ban, due to be implemented by August 2005 as the Food Supplements
Directive, may be overturned.
The first step was taken last
Friday (30 January) at the High Court in London where Mr
Justice Richards agreed with the arguments presented by
the Alliance for Natural Health and by trade organizations.
He said that application to the European Court should be
made without delay.
The Food Supplements Directive
seeks to control the sale of 5,000 vitamin and mineral products
currently sold in shops in the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden
and Ireland. It would impose strict controls, similar to
those currently in place in France and Germany.
This test case has wide-ranging
implications, and could determine the level of power that
the Commission has over individual member states and their
own local laws.
EU VITAMIN
BAN: The fight goes on
The legal challenge against the
Food Supplements Directive (FSD) goes on at the slow pace
that is the preserve of the law. The Alliance for Natural
Health has this week filed its written observations with
the European Court of Justice as part of its challenge to
overturn the directive that will ban many natural food vitamin
and mineral supplements throughout Europe.
This is the latest move in a
process that began last January when the Alliance achieved
a referral from the UK's High Court to the European courts.
If the Alliance fails, the FSD
will be introduced next August 1, and will allow for sale
only those products that contain nutrients included in a
'positive list'. The list favours synthetic vitamin and
inorganic min eral ingredients-strangely, the type manufactured
in bulk by the pharmaceutical industry-and omits 300 sources
of vitamins and minerals, many of which are found in foods.
As a consequence many natural foods will also disappear
from the shelves.
The Alliance is representing
the small manufacturers that are producing innovative products
that will be banned under the FSD. It is arguing that the
positive list is unlawful under EU law, and has no legal
base. Article 95 of the European Treaty, for example, seeks
to improve the internal market, and the FSD is contrary
to that.
For more information, and
to make a donation to support the Alliance's legal challenge,
go to: http://www.alliance-natural-health
Nutrition and HIV: Losing
rights to choose Dietary Supplements! October 2004
by Bradford McIntyre
Are you aware youre losing your rights to choose? Have you
noticed your choices of natural health products for optimizing
your health are disappearing?
Why? Because of legislation passed by European Union (EU)
Directive on Dietary Supplements and the fact that other
countries are bound to the rules and laws of the World Trade
Organization.
In the early years of the HIV and AIDS epidemic, there was
no treatment. I was witness to and learned from people who
were using vitamins, minerals, herbs and botanical supplements
to combat illness and/or boost their immune system. When
the pharmaceutical drug AZT was first introduced as a treatment
for HIV and AIDS, instead I chose vitamin supplements as
a means to boost my immune system and stay healthy. I did
not take HIV/AIDS medications for 13 years, out of the 20
years I have been infected!
It wasn't until 1997, I first
realized the threat the Codex Alementarius posed. Throughout
the years I have watched closely, signed petitions and written
to the Canadian government expressing my opposition to the
German delegation's proposal to the World Health Organization's
Codex Alementarius, the Committee on Nutrition and Foods
for Special Dietary Uses.
I believed then, as I do now that if regulations are put
into place, my rights as a consumer of nutritional supp
lements will be jeopardized. Dietary supplements which promote
my well-being will become more costly and harder to obtain,
and no supplements will be available for therapeutic or
preventative uses without prescriptions. Dosages will have
minimal amounts with higher costs!
By August of 2005, 5,000 products will disappear?
An imminent threat of being robbed of the right to choose!
Fight to keep our supplements!
We are not only ill informed but governments around the
world are making these deliberate legislative decisions
without informing the general public! The mainstream media
as well has avoided coverage of this legislation!
That being said, you can look to the Internet for all the
details on how this legislation has been taking place, and
get involved!
Codex Alementarius
http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/index_en.jsp
For more information on the European
Union Directive on Dietary Supplements and on the Codex
Alementarius legislation, contact the International Advocates
for Health Freedom (www.iahf.com), the American Holistic
Health Association (www.ahha.org), or the Alliance for Natural
Health (www.alliance-natural-health.org).
Bradford McIntyre, HIV+ 20 years,
Vancouver, Canada
www.PositivelyPositive.ca
The Conservative
Party has launched an on-line petition to secure availability
of supplements in the UK and we strongly recommend you sign
up to secure your future health. To view and sign click
the image below.
