NPA board

The National Pharmaceutical Association's board of management has welcomed the European Commission's intention that a proposed directive on food supplements should set maximum safe levels.
Noting that the proposed directive was designed to ensure both safety and free trade within the European Community, the board was, however, concerned to clarify the status of nutrients that were not covered in a new "positive" list of vitamins and minerals issued by the commission. The board approved an NPA response to the proposal pointing out that many existing products on the United Kingdom market contained ingredients such as fish oils and evening primrose oils that were not on the positive list.
The NPA response also strongly disagreed with the proposal that member states could opt out of imposing a procedure of notification of the marketing of a food supplement to competent authorities if they felt it to be "too burdensome".
The board welcomed proposals to label vitamin and mineral supplements with information about their use, and to introduce compulsory nutrition labelling.
The following are among other matters considered by the board at its July meeting.

Vitamin supplements: the NPA board welcomes proposals for compulsory nutrition labelling