| PeterB 2006-02-28, 5:58 pm |
|
Rich wrote:
> GUIDELINES FOR VITAMIN AND MINERAL FOOD SUPPLEMENTS
>
> CAC/GL 55 - 2005
>
> PREAMBLE
> Most people who have access to a balanced diet can usually obtain all the
> nutrients they require
> from their normal diet. Because foods contain many substances that promote
> health, people
> should therefore be encouraged to select a balanced diet from food before
> considering any vitamin
> and mineral supplement. In cases where the intake from the diet is
> insufficient or where
> consumers consider their diet requires supplementation, vitamin and mineral
> food supplements
> serve to supplement the daily diet.
>
> 1. 1. SCOPE
> 1.1 These guidelines apply to vitamin and mineral food supplements intended
> for use in
> supplementing the daily diet with vitamins and/or minerals.
> 1.2 Food supplements containing vitamins and/or minerals as well as other
> ingredients should
> also be in conformity with the specific rules on vitamins and minerals laid
> down in these
> Guidelines.
> 1.3 These Guidelines apply only in those jurisdictions where products
> defined in 2.1 are
> regulated as foods.
> 1.4 Foods for special dietary uses as defined in the General Standard for
> the Labelling of and
> Claims for Prepackaged Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CODEX STAN 146-1985)
> are not
> covered by these Guidelines.
>
> 2. DEFINITIONS
> 2.1 Vitamin and mineral food supplements for the purpose of these guidelines
> derive their
> nutritional relevance primarily from the minerals and/or vitamins they
> contain. Vitamin and
> mineral food supplements are sources in concentrated forms of those
> nutrients alone or in
> combinations, marketed in forms such as capsules, tablets, powders,
> solutions etc., that are
> designed to be taken in measured small-unit quantities1 but are not in a
> conventional food form
> and whose purpose is to supplement the intake of vitamins and/or minerals
> from the normal diet.
>
> 3. COMPOSITION
> 3.1 SELECTION OF VITAMINS AND MINERALS
> 3.1.1 Vitamin and mineral food supplements should contain
> vitamins/provitamins and minerals
> whose nutritional value for human beings has been proven by scientific data
> and whose status as
> vitamins and minerals is recognised by FAO and WHO.
> 3.1.2 The sources of vitamins and minerals may be either natural or
> synthetic and their selection
> should be based on considerations such as safety and bioavailability. In
> addition, purity criteria
> should take into account FAO/WHO standards, or if FAO/WHO standards are not
> available,
> international Pharmacopoeias or recognized international standards. In the
> absence of criteria
> from these sources, national legislation may be used.
> 1 This refers to the physical forms of the vitamin and mineral food
> supplements not to the potency of the supplements.
> 3.1.3 Vitamin and mineral food supplements may contain all vitamins and
> minerals that comply
> with the criteria in 3.1.1, a single vitamin and/or mineral or an
> appropriate combination of
> vitamins and/or minerals.
> 3.2 Contents of vitamins and minerals
> 3.2.1 The minimum level of each vitamin and/or mineral contained in a
> vitamin and mineral
> food supplement per daily portion of consumption as suggested by the
> manufacturer should
> be 15% of the recommended daily intake as determined by FAO/WHO.
> 3.2.2 Maximum amounts of vitamins and minerals in vitamin and mineral food
> supplements
> per daily portion of consumption as recommended by the manufacturer shall be
> set, taking the
> following criteria into account:
> (a) upper safe levels of vitamins and minerals established by scientific
> risk assessment based
> on generally accepted scientific data, taking into consideration, as
> appropriate, the varying
> degrees of sensitivity of different consumer groups;
> (b) the daily intake of vitamins and minerals from other dietary sources.
> When the maximum levels are set, due account may be taken of the reference
> intake values of
> vitamins and minerals for the population. This provision should not lead to
> setting of maximum levels
> that are solely based on recommended nutrient intakes (e. g. Population
> Reference Intake or
> Recommended Daily Allowance values).
>
> 4. PACKAGING
> 4.1 The product shall be packed in containers which will safeguard the
> hygienic and other
> qualities of the food.
> 4.2 The containers, including packaging material, shall be made only of
> substances which are
> safe and suitable for their intended use. Where the Codex Alimentarius
> Commission has
> established a standard for any such substance used as packaging material,
> that standard shall
> apply.
>
> 5. LABELLING
> 5.1 Vitamin and mineral food supplements should be labelled according to the
> Codex Standard
> for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods (Codex-Stan 1-1985, Rev. 1-1991) as
> well as according to
> the General Guidelines on Claims (CAC/GL 1-1979).
> 5.2 The name of the product shall be "food supplement" with an indication of
> the category(ies)
> of nutrients or of the individual vitamin(s) and/or mineral(s) contained in
> the product as the case
> may be.
> 5.3 The amount of the vitamins and minerals present in the product should be
> declared in the
> labelling in numerical form. The units to be used should be units of weight
> consistent with the
> Codex Guidelines on Nutrition Labelling (CAC/GL 2-1985 Rev.1-1993).
> 5.4 The amounts of the vitamins and minerals declared should be those per
> portion of the product
> as recommended for daily consumption and if different, the amount per unit
> for single use may also
> be given.
> 5.5 Information on vitamins and minerals should also be expressed as a
> percentage of the
> nutrient reference values mentioned, as the case may be, in the Codex
> Guidelines on Nutrition
> Labelling.
> 5.6 The label should indicate how the product should be used (quantity,
> frequency, special
> conditions).
> 5.7 The label shall contain advice to the consumer not to exceed the maximum
> one-day amount.
> 5.8 The label should not state or imply that supplements can be used for the
> replacement of
> meals or a varied diet.
> 5.9 The label shall contain a statement that the product should be stored
> out of reach of young
> children.
>
> ___________________________________________________________________________
>
>
> That's it. The whole three pages. Does anyone care to point out the evidence
> of a conspiracy?
This is indeed an important issue. So important I thought we should
give it wider coverage. Many people have no awareness of the Codex
Alimentarius (which is not complete, by the way) whatsoever. Here are
some of my thoughts on it.
The Codex is an intrusion into the rights of individuals who wish to
access nutritional supplements without unncessary regulation. It is a
greed-driven effort to manage markets, restrain competitive threats to
drug makers, and prevent access to more effective food supplements. We
do not need regulation of naturally-occuring vitamins and minerals, or
other nutrients. We do need regulation of product labeling, and
effective agency oversight exists already to protect consumers from
inappropriate or fraudulent marketing claims.
The language in this Codex material also includes a blurring of
distinctions between use of synthetic and natural vitamins in terms of
their scientifically supported use in treating human diseases. Despite
numerous studies implicating synthetic vitamins (drugs) in elevated
disease risk or ineffective treatment, these self-appointed governing
bodies (read: industry-backed political parasites) wish to lump all
nutrient-related supplements together and regulate them as if they are
*all* drugs. This has nothing to do with public health, otherwise the
drug makers themselves would have no markets into which they could
legally sell their own products.
The legal action of ANH in the EU court has been a huge factor (and
continues to be) in preventing more restrictive language from entering
the rulemaking supporting Codex thus far. This has resulted in
frustration for those supporting a "black box" approach for assessing
which nutrients make it to the so-called "positive list." The ANH is
doing an incredible job standing up for consumer rights on this issue,
but they continue to need public donations for this crucial legal and
scientific battle. Trivializing this issue by referring to opponents
of the Codex as "conspiracy" theorists is insulting to consumers who
have learned that multi-national conglomerates must be held accountable
for price fixing, anti-trust behaviour, unethical marketing, corrupt
political lobbying, and outright fraud. The drug makers are working
hard to protect their interests, spending more money to lobby the
legislature than any other industry, while receiving no effective
regulatory oversight from their pet, the FDA.
There is also a problem with the following quote from the Codex
guideline:
"Maximum amounts of vitamins and minerals in vitamin and mineral food
supplements per daily portion of consumption as recommended by the
manufacturer shall be set, taking the
following criteria into account: (a) upper safe levels of vitamins and
minerals established by scientific risk assessment based on generally
accepted scientific data, taking into consideration, as appropriate,
the varying degrees of sensitivity of different consumer groups..."
This is the "open door" to arbritary rule-making that ANH is trying to
close before it leads to assessments of "unsafe" vitamin levels based
on science of questionable origin. We have seen our resident pharma
bloggers here every day promoting "generally accepted scientific" views
that are neither generally accepted, nor scientific. These "ideas,"
however, have become part of the public domain because industry has
spent untold millions putting them there. This is commonly referred to
as "mindshare." It's just as important as branding. And while junk
science is no substitute for the truth, the repetition of a lie can be
used to substitute for real science. It happens every day.
PeterB
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