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News & Views
Harmonising Maximum Permitted Levels of Supplements is a BIG Mistake...
Date: 17/09/10
Keywords: Codex Alimentarius, European Food Safety Authority, Alternative medicine, supplements, Vitamins, GM Foods, Genetically modified food (GM Foods)
Under the guise of ‘consumer protection’ the European Commission and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is in the late stages of implementing harmonised, maximum permitted levels for food supplements and fortified foods throughout Europe, which will be instigated legally through the Food Supplements Directive.
Whilst there is a case to be made for risks associated with the excessive intake of certain nutrients (let's face it, even water is dangerous if you drink too much of it!), very few nutrients pose a problem even when taken in high amounts. It's ludicrous that a one-size-fits-all regime should be legally enforced by health authorities... especially when there is a much stronger case to be made against dangerous pharmaceuticals – like statins – prescribed willy-nilly to every Tom, Dick and Harry... Talk about misplaced ‘consumer protection’...
Thank you for all your effort and support... The past few weeks have shown me how much you all care about protecting your health choices and the future of alternative medicine.
Since I wrote to you a few weeks ago about the proposed European Union (EU) regulations threatening to drastically reduce the effectiveness of many essential herbs, vitamins and supplements, I have been busy answering emails from concerned readers (and there’s many of you) who are doing their best to put a stop to these outrageous measures by writing to their MPs and MEPs and by joining the Alliance for Natural Health’s campaign.
But we shouldn’t stop there, because our fight is far from over.
The harmonisation process bringing anything but harmony
Under the guise of ‘consumer protection’ the European Commission and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is in the late stages of implementing harmonised, maximum permitted levels for food supplements and fortified foods throughout Europe, which will be instigated legally through the Food Supplements Directive.
Whilst there is a case to be made for risks associated with the excessive intake of certain nutrients (let's face it, even water is dangerous if you drink too much of it!), very few nutrients pose a problem even when taken in high amounts. It's ludicrous that a one-size-fits-all regime should be legally enforced by health authorities... especially when there is a much stronger case to be made against dangerous pharmaceuticals – like statins – prescribed willy-nilly to every Tom, Dick and Harry... Talk about misplaced ‘consumer protection’...
The real threat of this ‘one-size-fits-all' approach to consumers, is that the very low dosages recommended by the Food Supplements Directive could be putting people at risk of vitamin deficiencies that threaten their health.
Warning: carrots could seriously damage your health!
The Food Supplements Directive has laid down a formula by which this one-size-fits-all approach should be implemented to determine maximum permitted levels (MPLs). As you'll soon see this will most definitely result in extremely low daily levels of many vitamins and minerals.
For instance, the MPL for zinc is 2.25mg. However, the average 200g sirloin steak has 7.2mg of zinc... That is more than 3 times the MPL of zinc in food supplements!
Another example is selenium, which has a very narrow therapeutic dose range but is an essential nutrient... particularly beneficial for men in terms of protecting them against prostate cancer. The MPL for selenium is 25-30mcg. One single (5 g) Brazil nut typically contains 96mcg of selenium — 3 times the MPL for selenium in food supplements.
If, like me, and you eat a 250mg packet of Brazil nuts almost three times a week, then according to the Food Supplements Directive you are exceeding your intake of selenium with illegal dosages...
Here’s one more example, just to show how ridiculous these MPLs are. One single 70g large raw carrot typically contains 7.2mg of beta-carotene but the MPL for beta-carotene is 2mg - 3.6 times the maximum level of beta-carotene in food supplements...
Will Brazil nuts with a higher than allowed MPL be individually labelled as posing a health risk to consumers? Who knows, maybe you'll even be banned from ordering a steak when you go out to eat!
How exactly will the enforcement of the Food Supplements Directive be achievable? Especially when simple foods exceed MPLs!
GM Foods allowed in the EU
Ah, but wait... Perhaps there is a way...
The EU, and some European Member States, is going full steam ahead to get approval for producing genetically modified (GM) food in Europe. Whilst 60 per cent of Europeans feel more information is needed before growing GM foods that could possibly threaten our health and environment, the European Commission is determined to see GM food cultivation approved for the continent...
To add injury to insult, the European Commission insists that the free movement of seed, food and feed would be preserved, meaning that a Member State that has banned the cultivation of an EU approved GM crop, would still be forced to accept the sale of that crop or its seeds within its borders...
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg and Poland currently prohibit GM crop cultivation or trade, but with demands from the World Trade Organisation, European Commission and some Member States, the EU has been forced to find ways around the very strong consumer resistance to GM cultivation in Europe.
How does this fit in with the Food Supplements Directive and MPLs?
Well, let’s put it this way: if the European Commission can legally use the Food Supplements Directive to force consumers to take the exact amount of specific nutrients (and nothing more), then there is clearly nothing that will stop them modifying food in such a way that it contains the exact MPLs permitted by law – and nothing more...
I never thought I would see the day that governments and health agencies enjoy so much power that they will attempt to tell a carrot how much beta-carotene it is allowed to have... under the guise of 'consumer protection' of course...
I cannot help but wonder how all of this will end...
EU Supplement Crackdown - Related Reading:
Alzheimer's: Big Pharma Homes in on Vitamin and Supplement Market
EU Supplement Crackdown: Time is Ticking Away... Your Freedom to Choose is in Jeopardy
EFSA Crackdown: Are You Taking ‘Illegal Drugs’ for Your Health, Without Knowing it?
HOT TOPICS:
Adrenal Insufficiency: How To Prevent 'Burn Out'
Hypothyroidism: The Foods That Sufferers Should Avoid
Thyroid problems: Could You Be Suffering From A Thyroid Problem Without Even Knowing It? Discover The Warning Signs And How To Fight Back
Sources:
‘European Commission snubs MEPs questions about GMOs’ published online, anh-europe.org
‘The EU is planning to dumb down our food supplements— imminently!’ published online, anh-europe.org
‘GUIDELINES FOR USE OF NUTRITION AND HEALTH CLAIMS’ published online anh-europe.org/files/GL23-1997.pdf
Back to topSince I wrote to you a few weeks ago about the proposed European Union (EU) regulations threatening to drastically reduce the effectiveness of many essential herbs, vitamins and supplements, I have been busy answering emails from concerned readers (and there’s many of you) who are doing their best to put a stop to these outrageous measures by writing to their MPs and MEPs and by joining the Alliance for Natural Health’s campaign.
But we shouldn’t stop there, because our fight is far from over.
The harmonisation process bringing anything but harmony
Under the guise of ‘consumer protection’ the European Commission and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is in the late stages of implementing harmonised, maximum permitted levels for food supplements and fortified foods throughout Europe, which will be instigated legally through the Food Supplements Directive.
Whilst there is a case to be made for risks associated with the excessive intake of certain nutrients (let's face it, even water is dangerous if you drink too much of it!), very few nutrients pose a problem even when taken in high amounts. It's ludicrous that a one-size-fits-all regime should be legally enforced by health authorities... especially when there is a much stronger case to be made against dangerous pharmaceuticals – like statins – prescribed willy-nilly to every Tom, Dick and Harry... Talk about misplaced ‘consumer protection’...
The real threat of this ‘one-size-fits-all' approach to consumers, is that the very low dosages recommended by the Food Supplements Directive could be putting people at risk of vitamin deficiencies that threaten their health.
Warning: carrots could seriously damage your health!
The Food Supplements Directive has laid down a formula by which this one-size-fits-all approach should be implemented to determine maximum permitted levels (MPLs). As you'll soon see this will most definitely result in extremely low daily levels of many vitamins and minerals.
For instance, the MPL for zinc is 2.25mg. However, the average 200g sirloin steak has 7.2mg of zinc... That is more than 3 times the MPL of zinc in food supplements!
Another example is selenium, which has a very narrow therapeutic dose range but is an essential nutrient... particularly beneficial for men in terms of protecting them against prostate cancer. The MPL for selenium is 25-30mcg. One single (5 g) Brazil nut typically contains 96mcg of selenium — 3 times the MPL for selenium in food supplements.
If, like me, and you eat a 250mg packet of Brazil nuts almost three times a week, then according to the Food Supplements Directive you are exceeding your intake of selenium with illegal dosages...
Here’s one more example, just to show how ridiculous these MPLs are. One single 70g large raw carrot typically contains 7.2mg of beta-carotene but the MPL for beta-carotene is 2mg - 3.6 times the maximum level of beta-carotene in food supplements...
Will Brazil nuts with a higher than allowed MPL be individually labelled as posing a health risk to consumers? Who knows, maybe you'll even be banned from ordering a steak when you go out to eat!
How exactly will the enforcement of the Food Supplements Directive be achievable? Especially when simple foods exceed MPLs!
GM Foods allowed in the EU
Ah, but wait... Perhaps there is a way...
The EU, and some European Member States, is going full steam ahead to get approval for producing genetically modified (GM) food in Europe. Whilst 60 per cent of Europeans feel more information is needed before growing GM foods that could possibly threaten our health and environment, the European Commission is determined to see GM food cultivation approved for the continent...
To add injury to insult, the European Commission insists that the free movement of seed, food and feed would be preserved, meaning that a Member State that has banned the cultivation of an EU approved GM crop, would still be forced to accept the sale of that crop or its seeds within its borders...
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg and Poland currently prohibit GM crop cultivation or trade, but with demands from the World Trade Organisation, European Commission and some Member States, the EU has been forced to find ways around the very strong consumer resistance to GM cultivation in Europe.
How does this fit in with the Food Supplements Directive and MPLs?
Well, let’s put it this way: if the European Commission can legally use the Food Supplements Directive to force consumers to take the exact amount of specific nutrients (and nothing more), then there is clearly nothing that will stop them modifying food in such a way that it contains the exact MPLs permitted by law – and nothing more...
I never thought I would see the day that governments and health agencies enjoy so much power that they will attempt to tell a carrot how much beta-carotene it is allowed to have... under the guise of 'consumer protection' of course...
I cannot help but wonder how all of this will end...
EU Supplement Crackdown - Related Reading:
Alzheimer's: Big Pharma Homes in on Vitamin and Supplement Market
EU Supplement Crackdown: Time is Ticking Away... Your Freedom to Choose is in Jeopardy
EFSA Crackdown: Are You Taking ‘Illegal Drugs’ for Your Health, Without Knowing it?
HOT TOPICS:
Adrenal Insufficiency: How To Prevent 'Burn Out'
Hypothyroidism: The Foods That Sufferers Should Avoid
Thyroid problems: Could You Be Suffering From A Thyroid Problem Without Even Knowing It? Discover The Warning Signs And How To Fight Back
Sources:
‘European Commission snubs MEPs questions about GMOs’ published online, anh-europe.org
‘The EU is planning to dumb down our food supplements— imminently!’ published online, anh-europe.org
‘GUIDELINES FOR USE OF NUTRITION AND HEALTH CLAIMS’ published online anh-europe.org/files/GL23-1997.pdf
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