§ Dr. FoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many specialist health food(a) retailers and (b) manufacturers there are in England and Wales; what figures she has collated on turnover of these sectors in the last year for which figures are available; what assessment she has made of the impact upon the profitability of these businesses of the forthcoming EU food supplements directive; and if she will make a statement. [21689]
§ Yvette CooperI have been asked to reply.
I am advised that there are no separate figures for retailers or manufacturers of specialist health food products as these estimates, although collected by the Office for National Statistics as part of the annual business inquiry, are combined with other specialist retailers and manufacturers.
The Food Standards Agency, which is responsible for negotiating this directive on the Government's behalf, has consulted widely on its likely impact. There would be labelling costs falling on manufacturers of all food supplements, but these would be substantially offset by a 1197W two year transitional period. For the specialist food supplement sector and consumers of these products any additional impact would depend on future developments on lists of permitted nutrients and maximum limits.