Codex Commission Adopts Supplement Guideline

[Guest guest]

Codex Commission Adopts Supplement Guideline

by S. , Esq.

Rome July 4 2005: The Codex Alementarius Commission,

consisting of 85 of 171 country members (one short of

a quorum) assembled in Rome today adopted without

objection the restrictive Vitamins and Minerals

Guidelines recommended by its Nutrition and Food for

Special Dietary Foods Committee.

While expected the action disappointed American

dietary supplement consumer group representatives and

observers resent. Attorney Tips of the National

Health Federation made a last minute plea to return,

for technical and substantive reasons, the guideline

to its authoring committee. His plea fell on deaf

ears. No country objected to adoption of the

guideline. Mr. Tips was followed by a representative

for the International Alliance of Dietary/Food

Supplement Associations (IADSA) refuting concerns

about the guidelines and seeking approval from the

Commission for " ten years of concerted effort " to

bring the guideline to fruition.

Consumer representatives in attendance at the Rome

Codex session announced that they will meet to prepare

strategies for continuing the battle to maintain

worldwide access to all currently available dietary

supplements products and to remove the barriers to

innovation they see created by the adopted guideline.

More action will follow.

Industry representatives from the Council for

Responsible Nutrition and other trade groups appeared

elated and on their way to partying.