Call for new controls on food supplements

Date: 06/01/2000

By Renée Cordes

THE European Commission will unveil plans next week for EU-wide rules to protect consumers from nutritional supplements which could have an adverse effect on their health.

The proposed legislation would cover vitamins and minerals contained in food supplements - products marketed as concentrated sources of nutrients which are meant to augment the intake of these aliments from 'normal' food. Health Commissioner David Byrne will also propose new measures later this year to restrict the sale of foodstuffs fortified with vitamins and minerals, such as margarine containing vitamins A and D.

Food experts say a varied diet should, in theory, provide all the nutrition necessary for a healthy life. But scientific studies have shown that changing lifestyles have had a profound impact on eating habits and, as a result, some sectors of the population do not consume adequate amounts of vitamins or minerals and have to take nutrients to supplement their daily food intake.

However, studies have shown that ingesting some nutritional supplements in certain amounts for a long period of time can have undesirable or adverse health effects. One recent study linked high doses of beta-carotene with an increased risk of lung cancer among smokers. In addition, interactions between minerals and other nutrients can have an adverse effect on a person's metabolism.

The Commission's proposals would lay down limits on the amounts of vitamins and minerals allowed in food supplements. But officials are still undecided as to how to calculate these ceilings, with some suggesting they should be strictly defined according to recommended daily requirements while others favour a more flexible case-by-case approach.

While some member states such as Germany already have strict recommended daily requirements on vitamins and minerals, experts expect the Commission to opt for a more flexible approach such as that currently used in the UK.

The decision to draft new legislation on food supplements was sparked in part by complaints from industry and member states, which are concerned that the patchwork of national restrictions now being created will make it increasingly difficult to sell products across borders.

Consumer groups are urging policy makers to act quickly, given that only a handful of member states have so far introduced national guidelines designed to keep harmful products off the market.

"There is no doubt that we need legislation on this," said Beate Kettlitz of the European consumer lobby group BEUC. However, it too remains undecided as to how maximum limits should be measured.

The plans will be unveiled next Wednesday (12 January) by Byrne and Enterprise Commissioner Erkki Liikanen as part of a White Paper on food safety.

The European Commission is to unveil plans for EU-wide rules to protect consumers from nutritional supplements which could have an adverse effect on their health.