EU directive meets angry opposition

Tuesday, 12 July 2005 12:00 AM

The government should do all it can to secure a British opt-out from a new European directive on the sale of vitamins and minerals, the Conservatives have said.

Shadow health minister Simon Burns condemned today's decision by the European court of justice to uphold the tightening of the rules governing the sale of supplements as a "devastating blow" for consumers.

And he called on the government to use its presidency of the European Union to secure an opt-out from the proposals that critics claim could see more than 5,000 products banned.

The new rules, due to come into force in August, will restrict the sale of certain supplements and set upper limits on vitamin doses. Once fully implemented, the legislation will mean supplements can only be taken from an approved list.

Many health experts have advocated the new regulations, which will effectively license vitamins in the same way as normal medicines.

But Liberal Democrat health spokesman Steve Webb said the directive goes against consumers' freedom of access to products they have used safely for years.

"The fundamental principle here is freedom of choice - freedom for the consumer to go on using products that they have used safely and successfully for many years," he said.

"There is no reason why national governments should not be able to allow their own consumers to use products which do not have Europe-wide approval."

Responding to today's ruling, public health minister Caroline Flint said the government's aim had always been to "ensure the safety of food supplements and support consumer choice without imposing unnecessary burdens on business".

She said she was aware that some of the directive's provisions could be "unduly burdensome", particularly for small business, and said the government would continue to work with them to resolve the problems.

With regard to the maximum dosage levels set, Ms Flint said the government was working with other member states to ensure these were based on scientific evidence.

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