Dietary Supplements

EDM number 766 in 1991-92, proposed by Peter Hain on 27/02/1992.

That this House notes with great concern that a Council Directive of the European Commission is being prepared with a view to bringing dietary supplements (vitamins and minerals) under European legislative discipline; notes that in Britain dietary supplements come under food law and may be sold freely, whereas in most Community member states they are classified as medicines unless the dosage is very small, and may be sold only on prescription, through pharmacies, which is a highly restrictive practice and would be most unwelcome to British consumers; further notes that the Government's Denner Report on dietary supplements, which suggested that stricter controls were necessary because of doubts about safety, has been shown to contain numerous inaccuracies and misleading statements and has been accused of manipulating data; and calls for the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretary of State for Health to make a statement to the effect that no representations will be made to the EC on behalf of the United Kingdom Government in favour of reclassifying as medicines any products currently sold as food supplements.

This motion has been signed by a total of 27 MPs.