HC Deb 21 January 1997 vol 288 cc548-9W
Mr. Hain

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he or his officials have to meet Consumers for Health Choice and other consumer and practitioner organisations to discuss the work of the Food Advisory Committee in connection with vitamin B6. [11501]

Mrs. Browning

Officials will shortly be inviting Consumers for Health Choice and other organisations representing consumer, nutritional therapy and industry interests to meetings to discuss the Food Advisory Committee's recommendations on vitamin B6.

Mr. Hain

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what scientific peer-reviewed studies were considered by the Food Advisory Committee and the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment in connection with their recent conclusions on the use of vitamin B6; and to what extent those committees took note of comments on studies of vitamin B6 supplementation by Alan Gaby MD in 1990; [11499]

(2) what assessment his Department has made of the published results of studies of vitamin B6 supplementation undertaken by Brush MG and Perry M, by Baker H and Frank 0, by Pauling L and by Mitwalli A, Blair G and Oreopoulos DG; and whether these papers were considered by the Food Advisory Committee and the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment in connection with their recent conclusions on vitamin B6. [11500]

Mrs. Browning

The Food Advisory Committee's recommendations were based on advice on the toxicity of vitamin B6 provided by the Department of Health's Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment. The COT considered 31 publications from international scientific journals, one chapter from a book on vitamin B6 and three reports from other committees, including one from the EC Scientific Committee for Food. The Department of Health has arranged for a list of the papers considered to be deposited in the Library of the House. The papers referred to by the hon. Gentleman were not among those considered.