NNFA adds a reassuring voice on Codex
latest industry body to reassure companies and consumers that the
impending Codex guidelines will not affect the availability of
dietary supplements in the United States, reports Jess
Halliday.
The NNFA has launched an online resource center containing information about the guidelines, which are currently under consideration by the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Use (CNFSDU) and expected to be adopted in July.
In particular, it draws attention to the inability of Codex to force the US government to amend, repeal or make any other changes to the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA).
The Codex Alimentarius Commission was set up in 1963 by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization and the World Health Organization to develop guidelines that protect consumer health and ensure fair trade practices. It has adopted almost 250 standards covering different aspects of the food industry to date.
The Draft Guidelines for Vitamin and Mineral Food Supplements were first proposed in 1993 and are currently at step 8 of the Codex process, the final stage prior to adoption.
NNFA's new website follows the publication last month of documents by the American Herbal Products Association and the Council for Responsible Nutrition, which sent a similar message to their members.
"Protecting our members' rights to sell dietary supplements goes hand-in-hand with ensuring they receive accurate information about government policies that affect their businesses," said David Seckman, NNFA's executive director and CEO.
He added that preservation of DSHEA would be the NNFA's top priority, should it be compromised by Codex in any way.
Throughout the 11 years it has been involved in Codex, the association has not just taken a reactive, protective stance over the US law, however. It is also eager to see elements of DSHEA brought into Codex.
Members of the International Committee, comprised of retail and supplier members, want the guidelines to be expanded to cover all the products regulated as dietary supplements under DSHEA.
Although the supplements guidelines currently under discussion relate only to vitamins and minerals, it seems NNFA's wish may come to pass since last November the NFSDU said that, after the initial adoption of the guidelines covering vitamins and minerals, it may also make recommendations for other types of dietary supplements.
The association also advocates the permitted use of structure/function and health claims and opposes maximum upper safe limits on vitamins and minerals. Where they are adopted, it says they should be based on sound scientific risk assessment.
