Consumers take Government to Court of Human Rights to save natural health supplements

Announcing this dramatic move yesterday (20th February 2003), actress Jenny Seagrove who recently joined the Save-Our-Supplements campaign, spoke out against what she describes as ruinous EU proposals that will remove the public’s right to take responsibility for their own health, simply because the vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements they need will be banned.
This step follows the collection and presentation to Parliament of petitions containing more than one million signatures from angry consumers across the country, who feel their wishes are being ignored and their freedom of choice taken away.
Two European Directives, one to regulate vitamins and minerals (The Food Supplements Directive which will become UK law by July 2003), the other (the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive) to further regulate herbal remedies, will wipe hundreds of natural health products from the shelves of UK stores. Many safe and popular products including higher dose Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, many European, American, Chinese and Ayurvedic herbs such as Rhodiola (stress), Boswellia (arthritic pain), Ashwaganda (inflammation / infection) and countless others could be affected.
Jenny Seagrove said"We have been fighting for months to make the British government understand the consequences for consumers’ health if these regulations are implemented. So far, our pleas have fallen on deaf ears so this action at the Court of Human Rights is now essential to force the Government to accept its responsibilities and look after consumers."
She added "It is our fundamental right to take care of ourselves. We should be allowed to keep ourselves well in any way we choose – I choose to use herbs and supplements and so do millions of others. It is in everyone’s interest, including the Government’s, for as many people as possible to keep themselves out of doctor’s surgeries, and out of hospitals – why does the Government not understand that?"
The Food Supplements Directive, due to become law in the UK next year, contains a list of nutrients and nutrient sources for use in dietary supplements. At present over 300 safe and popular nutrients and nutrient sources, affecting thousands of products that have been on the UK market for decades, are not on the permitted list and unless comprehensive safety dossiers are submitted and approved for each, they will be banned. To date, less than 15 dossiers have been prepared.
The Directive will also set the maximum daily dose levels allowed. Political pressure from Germany and France is expected to result in these levels being substantially below those currently available in UK. Consumers will be forced to seek alternative sources to obtain their products, most likely from unregulated markets such as the Internet or overseas mail order, which could actually put consumers at greater risk.
The Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive will have a devastating effect on the availability of herbal products currently on the UK market. It states that an herbal product can only continue to be sold if it has already been on the market for 30 years (of which 15 years must be in Europe). Alternatively they can be licensed in the same way as pharmaceutical drugs, but at prohibitive costs of millions of pounds which herbal companies cannot afford.
Sue Croft, Director of Consumers for Health Choice supported Jenny’s comments saying "Jenny is exactly right. We know from a letter recently sent to a supporter by the Secretary of State for Health, Alan Milburn M.P. that the Government has no intention of pressing for negotiations on the Directive to be reopened. But that is exactly what they must do!"
She continued "Alan Milburn also stated that the Government’s priorities are now to fulfil its Community obligations to implement the provisions of the Directive. What about their obligations to the British people? Have they been forgotten?"