Portlaoise shop joins campaign against new EU laws

BERNADETTE Cass of the Fruit ‘N Nut Health Place store on Lyster Square, Portlaoise is joining health store owners across the country to voice their objections to a proposed European Union directive, which they fear threatens many of the supplements that customers rely on for their health.

The EU intends to reduce supplement potency with the imposition of maximum dose level for all vitamins and minerals including magnesium, zinc and B6. The initiative is working towards a ‘harmonised maximum permitted level’ or MPL for vitamins and minerals in and across the EU, which the commission claims is to protect against potential health risks that can come with the over consumption of some of these products.

As an illustration of how the difference will manifest under the new regulation, magnesium, whose current guidelines are for a max of 250mg a day, will be cut to 145mg per day, a 42 per cent reduction in the strength available to the consumer.

An online petition by Health Stores Ireland has received more than 26,000 signatures to date on the website saveoursupplements.ie.

The save our supplement campaign argues that the industry in Ireland is already adequately regulated by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) and the proposals essentially reduce the strength of available supplements and therefore the health benefits will be reduced. The industry group has warned the potential economic impact to both health stores and to the consumer who would need more supplements to make the desired impact.

The campaign group are hoping for a hearing at one of the Oireachtas special committee meetings in September.

The campaigners additionally argue that the serious adverse events from food supplements that the EU measures are aimed at addressing are exceptionally rare, while the evidence that optimal nutrient intakes well above requirements support vitality and help reduce long term chronic disease risk is extensive.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme