IADSA Global Dispatches 429

Europe

Call For Safe Upper Limits For Fortified Foods

Environment Committee Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have increased pressure on the European Commission to set safe upper limits for the addition of vitamins and minerals to food.

Currently, the Common Position on the proposed regulation does not specify a date by which limits must be set, but now the rapporteur for this piece of legislation has called for a deadline.

MEPs are also keen to ensure that the vitamins and minerals added to foods are in a bio-available form.

EFSA Publishes Opinions On Upper Intake Levels

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has just issued a compilation of the opinions on methods of setting tolerable upper intake levels for vitamins and minerals.

The compilation, which does not include any new opinions, is available on the EFSA website via the following links:

Part 1:
http://www.efsa.eu.int/science/nda/110/upper_level_opinions_hi-part11.pdf
Part 2:
http://www.efsa.eu.int/science/nda/110/upper_level_opinions_hi-part21.pdf
Part 3:
http://www.efsa.eu.int/science/nda/110/upper_level_opinions_hi-part31.pdf

It is understood that the European Commission are likely to release their long-awaited discussion paper on maximum levels in July 2006, when stakeholders will have the opportunity to comment on its content.

Ireland

Safety Alert For Chinese Herbals

On receipt of advice from the New Zealand Medicines Agency that two Chinese herbal products may contain undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients usually available only by prescription, the Irish Medicines Board has sent an 'Important Safety Notice' to interested parties.

The products concerned are:

Turkey

First International Symposium On Food Supplements

More than 30 officials from the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Health attended the packed First International Symposium on Food Supplements, organised by the Turkish association BesDesDer this month in Ankara with the support of IADSA. Internationally renowned experts debated topics ranging from vitamin and mineral and botanical safety, to claims, to the role of government bodies in food supplement regulation.

With the attendance of the Minister of Agriculture, Dr Mehdi Eker, the event clearly put the supplement category firmly on the map in Turkey and will ensure continuing productive dialogue between the industry and the authorities.

Canada

Health Canada Labelling Ruling

In the face of concerns that the use of 'NPN (Natural Product Number) Pending' on products not yet authorized for sale is seriously misleading consumers, Health Canada has advised the industry that this practice is prohibited because it is in violation of the Canadian Food and Drugs Act, which prohibits misleading or deceptive advertising.

The designation 'NPN' should only appear on the labels of natural health products authorized for sale by Health Canada.