Food Supplement Regulations

EDM number 1398 in 2002-03, proposed by Brian Iddon on 11/06/2003.

That this House notes that the regulations to transpose into United Kingdom law the provisions of the Food Supplements Directive have now been laid before this House, before the Scottish Parliament and before the Welsh Assembly; regrets that as currently drafted several key nutrients and hundreds of nutrient sources are omitted from the list of ingredients permitted under the regulations for use in food supplements and that the overwhelming majority of these missing ingredients will therefore be banned in effect from July 2005; urges Her Majesty's Government to use all its influence with the European Commission, the European Food Safety Authority and other member state governments to find an urgent solution to this pressing problem of missing nutrients; further notes that the directive also provides for the subsequent setting of maximum permitted levels for nutrient content in supplements; urges the Minister for Public Health immediately to commence a vigorous dialogue with other member states to avoid the setting in due course of such limits at unacceptably low levels which would seriously and adversely impact on the United Kingdom industry and consumers; and believes that the approval of this House for the Food Supplement (England) Regulations should be conditional on the Minister giving advance assurances that these problems will be determinedly and effectively addressed.

This motion has been signed by a total of 89 MPs.