EU regulation of supplements & vitamins as of 1st August

RonanC

What are the odds on creatine being banned in the near future? After the Irish Medicines Board declared Gingko to be a prescription drug nothing would surprise me at this stage. Presumably there will be some kind of 'grace' period from August 1st for manufacturers to clear their stock (and to allow us to stock up).

VITAMIN BAN UPHELD
Controversial new European laws which could outlaw thousands of vitamin and mineral supplements have been upheld by judges in Europe.

The European Court of Justice rejected claims by the British health food industry that the proposed Food Supplements Directive, coming into force on August 1, breaches EU rules.

The surprise decision goes against an opinion delivered by the same court's advocate-general in April, advising that the rules should be scrapped because they contravene basic EU principles of "legal protection, legal certainty and sound administration".

But the judges countered that the proposed arrangements, designed to tighten controls on the growing market in products sold under the health food heading, can go ahead as planned.

Health food companies have to submit natural remedies, vitamin supplements and mineral plant extracts for approval and inclusion on a list of recognised food supplements.

The judges backed the move saying: "A 'positive list' system is appropriate for securing the free movement of food supplements and ensuring the protection of human health."

In the UK, many of the products have been in regular use for many years, in what is a £300 million-a-year market.

joc_06

This doesnt necessarily mean things will get banned forthwith across the boards.
Only that every product must be approved first.

I presume this means that one creatine product or protein or whatever may be banned or not approved is the better phrase whereas another might be fine.

This seems a good move so less contaminated products slip throught the net. A lot of protein supplements etc are made in plants that also pump out OJ so this will hopefully eliminate the risk of contamination from what ive read into it.

Easygainer

joc_06 wrote:

This doesnt necessarily mean things will get banned forthwith across the boards.
Only that every product must be approved first.

I presume this means that one creatine product or protein or whatever may be banned or not approved is the better phrase whereas another might be fine.

This seems a good move so less contaminated products slip throught the net. A lot of protein supplements etc are made in plants that also pump out OJ so this will hopefully eliminate the risk of contamination from what ive read into it.

I still think it's another step towards a complete nanny state. This along with that idiotic law on sun factor for people with outdoor jobs just makes me rue our accession in 1973...

I gather it will have its positives though. Personally, I know of a lot of supplements in health stores that have no proven benefits, or at best, dodgy tests showing some benefit. HMB, for instance, has never been proven effective. That's why I don't stock or sell anything I don't trust. That includes liquid creatine, which I'; start a thread about in a minute

The laws for restricting dosages on vitamins though is stupid. If they, for instance, make it 500mg as a limit on Vitamin C, why not just take 2... Idiots!!!

RonanC

Easygainer wrote:

I gather it will have its positives though. Personally, I know of a lot of supplements in health stores that have no proven benefits, or at best, dodgy tests showing some benefit.

True, but it's the removal of choice that I find most disconcerting. There are a plethora of supplements with significant anecdotal benefits for fitness enthusiasts, bodybuilders, etc. What I would be worried about is the Directive claiming that correlation does not equal causation and being strict on studies where there are observed health benefits derived from supplements.

Easygainer wrote:

The laws for restricting dosages on vitamins though is stupid. If they, for instance, make it 500mg as a limit on Vitamin C, why not just take 2... Idiots!!!

Meanwhile, DMT is being freely sold in the US.

rubadub

RonanC wrote:

Meanwhile, DMT is being freely sold in the US.

DMT is schedule 1 in the states, unless you mean some other DMT.

RonanC

rubadub wrote:

DMT is schedule 1 in the states, unless you mean some other DMT.

Desoxymethyltestosterone.