Codex and The EU Food Supplement Directive Corner the Market for The Pharmaceutical Companies
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Sunday October 29, 2006 17:46
by C Murray
Alliance for Natural Health E-Blast.
Alliance For Natural Health who are presently engaged in giving information on the
repurcussions of the EU Food Supplement Directive , in relation to consumer choice
in health care have released an Eblast re : The Upcoming Codex Conference in the
Golden Triangle , Chiang Mai, In Thailand.
http://www.alliance-natural-health.org
The previous Meetings have been in Bonn and ANH have claimed that the change of venue
will possibly mitigate against the attendance of developing nations to the conference, wherin
the mandatory adoption of the WHO/Codex regulations on food supplements amongst
trading bloc's such as the EU, will force either a two tier system of global Trade or an
adoption of Codex regulations globally, therby reducing consumer choice in food and
supplementary products.
The Codex regulations have been rejected by the FDA in the US, but accepted by the EU
trading Bloc. They are very similar to the EU food Supplement Directive currently making
its way through the EU Parliament which already is pressuring the complementary
medicine industry and indiviual choice in relation to our choices in this area.
Already restrictive guidelines, In Ireland and other places reduce the advertising ability of
complementary therapists such as homepaths, who would treat ailments through a variety of
means including dietary methods.
The Alliance for Natural Health Clearly states and backs up their claims that
(Mainstream Media) " anti-supplement press is part of a deliberate campaign by
pharmaceutical interests to skew public opinion against natural health products
and self-medication, or to frighten people away from complementary health
practioners whilst steering them toward orthodox medicine and pharmaceuticals"
There is one freedom of choice group delegated to the 'Golden Triangle' conference
next week- costs of attending these junkets are prohibitive , but the pharms
and multis are regular attendees. The Eu Bloc have managed to have a close
correlation between the restrictive Food Supplement Directive and the mandatory Codex
guidelines amongst the EU member states. ANH claims that despite the US FDA
rejection of the Codex guidelines that it will become a global issue through econmic
and political pressure and will create for the States and developing nations, in a best case
scenario a two -tier trading system, wherin products for home market and export will
be classifyed in completely different ways due to the globalised culture of the trading
bloc alliances of the two trading entities.
The E blast is available at : http://www.info@alliance-natural-health.org
Comments (3 of 3)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3The Codex Comm on food supplements ended at the weekend and the Alliance for Natural Health
has just press-released on issues arising from the Golden Triangle conference.
Two attendees are in India now visiting key Ayurvedic interests to strengthen the ANH's
International programme to help protect non-European traditional Healthcare cultures.
"CODEX Puts Industry interests before Consumers Again"
This years meeting of the Committee , relocated from its heartland in Germany,
unsurprisingly saw a strong turnout from Asian countries. However cultural factors
may have hindered interventions, leaving the European Commission and United
States delegations to dominate proceedings under the chairmanship of Germany's
Dr Rolf Grossklaus. The relocation from Germany to Thailand also seemed responsible for
the 30-32% reduction in attendance, between 2005-2006, from national delegations and
NGO's respectively"
THE CCNFSDU- (Codex Comm on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses)
Develops guidelines and standards for food including Infant formula, ceral based food s for
infants, gluten free food and dietary supplements. Coom procedures are strictly controlled
and although consensus voting provides the mechanism for agreemment of texts, organised
pacts between national delegations frequently allow viewpoints in favour of industry
to be pushed through, even in the face of fierce opposition from consumer-led NGO's"
Flouride and Sugar:
"It seems without doubt that industrial interests are taking precedence over
consumer interests- re the inclusion of flourides and sugars in foodstuffs
destined for children.
There was 10 minutes given by the CODEX COMM on Risk assessment in relation to safe
water in infant formula.
The Press release and report are available on
http://www.alliance-natural-health.org
Professor Waxman- London Oncologist has said that food supplements must be re-classified
as 'drugs'.
And that cancer patients can be healed by pharmaceuticals and pesticide contaminated
foods.
Now some of us have illnesses and are treated by a variety of means and ways.
Complementary medicine does what it says on the tin- it is a system of dietary
and supplement treatments that complement the 'traditional' medications.
sponsored by the vested interests of the Pharm industry.
Mr Waxman does not trust the individual's right to choose in their care:
" The reasons that these prducts are accessible to patients is that they are not subject to the
testing of Pharmaceuticals because they are classified as food Suplements'
In the above links and articles, the food supplement directive and the 'Codex'
problem is discussed.
The meaning of 'complementary' is simple. oftentimes a GP will send a patient to
a homeopath or dietician to get people with problems- such as cancer to re-learn
about their bodies and the type of food that they eat. Diet is a massive problem
especially in Ireland where multi-national interests are creating childhood obseity,
diabetes, heart- disease- the market is unregulated and advertising to children
obscene. so we re-learn diet. we accept complementary therapies. they may not
cur the illnesses but they most definitely help.
Codex and the food directive are busily regulating for the money interests of the
Global corporations and not to the individual's right to choose .
The front bench of our governments have had one too many meals at the
expense of the corporations and the consumer is uneducated about exactly
how free the irish market is in terms of food politics and globalised abuse.
Five NGO's : The Alliance for Natural Health, Rath Health Foundation, The Natural
Health Federation, VOICe an Mayday formed an alliance to challenge national and
international regulations and guidelines that continue to allow the use of
synthetic flourides in infant formulas.
ANH- info@anhcampaign.org
avoice@aol.ie
kontakt@mayday-info.dk
http://www.thenhf.com
the tooth, the whole tooth...
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