Sneak Attack on Dietary Supplements
According to Scott Tips, president and legal counsel for the National Health Federation (NHF), harmonized global standards are enabling overall reduced vitamin and mineral levels in pill and food form. In February, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed changes to both the current Nutrition Facts panel on food labels and Supplement Facts panel on dietary supplement labels that prompt concern.
“While the food industry, media and general public focus on the proposed format changes, new wording and label design, there’s a danger to our health in the FDA harmonizing our Reference Daily Intake (RDI) of vitamin and mineral levels down to the extremely low levels of the Codex Alimentarius, which our organization has fought against for more than a decade,” advises Tips.
Although a few RDIs have been raised, if the proposed rulemaking is adopted, the NHF anticipates that the FDA will work to conform other recommended nutrient values to those of Codex. Support for this projection is based on an October 11, 1995, FDA pronouncement in the Federal Register to harmonize its food laws with those of the rest of the world.
The deadline for citizens to submit comments to the FDA ended on June 2, but we can still write to the Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5360 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852. Mention Docket No. FDA-2012-N-1210 and insist that the FDA cease pushing its harmonization agenda.
For more information, visit Tinyurl.com/NHFCaseForNutrients.
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