Millions Hit As EU Bans High-Dosage Health Pills

THOUSANDS of vitamin and food supplements are set to be removed from store shelves after a court yesterday upheld new European-wide laws banning them.

Campaigners including Carole Caplin, Cherie Blair’s former personal assistant, and Jenny Seagrove, the actress, had hoped moves to outlaw certain vitamins and minerals would be abandoned. But the European Court in Luxembourg rejected their calls, and upheld an existing EU directive that will affect millions of consumers.

The campaigners argued the new rules were unnecessarily restrictive. But some health experts wanted to see vitamins and minerals controlled in the same way as conventional medicines.

The affected products are mostly high-dosage vitamin supplements sold through health food stores rather than everyday tablets available at High Street pharmacies. Antioxidants such as selenium and minerals such as boron which are sold in tablet form will be affected. Boots yesterday said it had already taken steps to comply with the new rules and none of its current products were affected.

Ms Seagrove, who takes high-dosage vitamin C tablets and zinc supplements, told The Scotsman: “This is a black day for health in Britain. This will reduce consumer choice and cause disruption to the health food industry. I am devastated by the ruling, and disappointed the decisions have to be taken on a European level. The UK has perfectly good agencies for ensuring the safety of products on the shelves.”

Peter Aldiss, managing director of health food shop Holland and Barrett, added: “There are hundreds of nutrients which are already very safely on sale with very strict laws in the UK. This directive just takes those nutrients out of the reckoning.”

But the British Dietetic Association backed the restrictions, claiming patients had been admitted to hospital suffering liver failure and severe stomach problems after taking high doses of vitamins.

Sue Davies, chief policy adviser for consumer magazine Which? said: “Finally, people who take supplements will be properly protected. It will ensure that products are safe, that they contain forms of vitamins and minerals that offer some benefit, and that they are clearly labelled.”

The rules surrounding the sale of vitamin supplements are now bewilderingly complex. Under the EU Food Supplements Directive, due to come into effect next month, supplements will only be able to include vitamins and minerals taken from an approved list.

Yesterday’s ruling upholds the existence of the approved list, but makes it easier for health food firms to get their products included.

The European Commission said products submitted for approval before yesterday would be allowed to stay on the market until at least 2009, unless they were ruled unsafe.

“It is not our aim to take products off the shelves,” said Philip Tod, EU spokesman for health and consumer protection. “It is our aim to make sure these products are safe.”

Dr Robert Verkerk, executive director of the Alliance for Natural Health, said yesterday’s ruling also relaxed the restrictions on vitamins which had been naturally sourced.

He said: “All we have ever wanted is for regulation in natural health to be based on good science and good law.”

Public health minister Caroline Flint said the government was concerned that some of the provisions in the directive could be “unduly burdensome”, particularly for small companies.