ALLIANCE FOR NATURAL HEALTH

[Guest guest]

PRESS RELEASE

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 9 December 2004

 

 

LANDMARK CASE IN EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE

 

CHALLENGING FOOD SUPPLEMENTS BAN

SET FOR HEARING ON 25 JANUARY 2005

 

 

The Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) and Nutri-Link Ltd announce

that their case in the European Court of Justice seeking to overturn

the Food Supplements Directive ban on many natural food-form vitamin

and mineral supplements has now been listed for hearing on 25

January 2005.

 

The ANH is seeking to challenge the ban in the EU Food Supplements

Directive (FSD) on many advanced, natural high potency food

supplements.

 

From 1 August 2005, the FSD will only allow products containing

nutrients which are included on a specific " positive list " to be

sold in EU countries, despite the fact that many products containing

off-list ingredients were previously being sold without any problems

in a number of EU member states prior to the proposed ban.

 

 

For many years, countries such as the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden

and Ireland have followed a flexible regime whereby food supplements

have been regarded as " food " and can be put on the market provided

they are safe and correctly labelled. It is left up to the consumer

to choose which products are bought.

 

 

Without these products consumers will be deprived of access to the

most effective supplements of their choice and practitioners will

lose many of their most useful sources of key nutrients and many

supplier companies will be driven out of business.

 

 

On this news, Dr Robert Verkerk, ANH Executive Director, commented:

 

" We are delighted that an early hearing date has now been set and

are hopeful that the European Court in Luxembourg will invalidate

the quite unnecessary ban on the wide range of perfectly safe

natural, food-derived ingredients which comprise most of the

advanced food supplements. "

 

David Hinde, Solicitor, ANH Legal Director, added:

 

" We are looking forward to the hearing in January 2005 for this

landmark case which has far reaching implications for health as well

as freedom of choice for consumers across the European Union. "

 

The Alliance for Natural Health and Nutri-link Ltd are being

represented by barristers Paul Lasok QC, Michael Patchett-Joyce and

Anneli Howard of Monckton Chambers and Jonathan Coad, Solicitor, at

the Simkins Partnership.

 

 

Further announcements will be made in due course.

 

 

For details of the ECJ case (Case C-154/04 " Alliance for Natural

Health and Others " ) please go to ANH's website at the following link:

 

www.alliance-natural-health.org/index.cfm?Action=archive & categoryID=7

 

 

ENDS

 

Enquiries:

 

 

David C. Hinde, Solicitor

Legal Director

Tel: 020 7 738 1640 (direct Tel: 07958 548 186 (mobile)

E-mail: davidh

 

Dr Robert Verkerk

Executive Director

Tel: 01252 371 275 (general enquiries)

Tel: 0771 484 7225 (mobile)

E-mail: robv

 

IKON Associates (PR for the Alliance for Natural Health)

Adrian Shaw

Tel: 01483 535102

Mobile: 0797 9900733

E-mail: adrian