§ Lord Clement-Jonesasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have received representations regarding the method of handling by the Food Standards Agency press office of the publication of the recent report by the Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals; and what action they intend to take as a result of any such representations. [HL3410]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner)The agency has received some representations on this publication. The agency supports a safety-based approach to regulation of food supplements, and is committed to promoting informed choice. Prior to the publication of the Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals (EVM) report the agency held two press conferences to brief the media with the chairman of the EVM. The agency was careful to present balanced information on the risks associated with some high dose vitamin and mineral supplements and is satisfied that this will have contributed significantly to helping consumers to make informed choices about the food supplement products they buy.
§ Lord Clement-Jonesasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether it remains their policy that vitamin B6 should not be consumed at more than 10mg per day; and whether they will identify how many adverse 134WA reactions have been notified as a result of vitamin B6 consumption since that advice was given in 1997. [HL3411]
§ Lord WarnerThe Reference Nutrient Intake for Vitamin B6 is 1.2 mg/day for adult females and 1.4 mg/ day for adult males. Government advice remains that people limit their intake of vitamin B6 from dietary supplements to no more than 10 mg per day unless acting on the advice of their GP or health professional.
Reports of suspected adverse reactions to medicines are collated by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and the Committee on Safety of Medicines through the spontaneous reporting Yellow Card Scheme.
Between 1 January 1997 and 18 June 2003, 178 reports of suspected adverse drug reactions associated with products containing vitamin B6 have been received through the Yellow Card Scheme. Of these reports, 42 suspected adverse drug reactions were associated with single-constituent products and 259 suspected adverse drug reactions were associated with multi-constituent products. Some reports may contain more than one adverse reaction.
§ Lord Clement-Jonesasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the total cost of the work of the Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals; whether they consider it has delivered value for money; and whether they intend to re-examine those areas in which its findings are inconsistent with those of other internationally respected bodies. [HL3442]
§ Lord WarnerThe work of the Export Group on Vitamins and Minerals (EVM) covered a five-year period and has involved expenditure by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Department of Health, and since its establishment the Food Standards Agency. The Food Standards Agency has led on the work of the EVM over the past three years and costs in respect of meetings and publication of the EVM report over this period have totalled £76,000.
The work of the EVM, which considered over 10,000 scientific papers, is a valuable resource on a subject which is the most up-to-date, independent, expert assessment of the issue yet to be published. As such it will inform policy decisions on the safety of vitamins and minerals on a United Kingdom and European basis.
There are no plans at this stage to reconsider specific areas of the EVM's findings. The need for this will be kept under ongoing review as the evidence base in this subject area develops further.
§ Lord Clement-Jonesasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the membership of the newly established panel of the European Food Safety Authority which is intended to consider the safety of food supplements. [HL3443]
135WA
§ Lord WarnerThe scientific panel of the European Food Safety Authority that will deal with food supplements will be the Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in Contact with Foods.
The membership, which consists of individual experts appointed in their own right, is as follows:
- Dr Susan Barlow (Chair)
- Prof Werner Grunow (Vice-Chair)
- Mr John Christian Larsen (Vice-Chair)
- Prof Robert Henri Eugene Anton
- Prof Dimitrios Boskou
- Dr Laurence Castle
- Dr Riccardo Crebelli
- Prof Wolfgang Dekant
- Prof Karl-Heinz Engel
- Dr Stephen Forsythe
- Dr Catherine Leclercq
- Dr Wim C Mennes
- Dr Maria Rosaria Milana
- Prof Ivonne Magdalena Catharina Maria Rietjens
- Dr Kettil Svensson
- Prof Paul P G Tobback
- Prof Fidel Toldra
§ Earl Howeasked Her Majesty's Government:
What resources are being allocated by the Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency to delivering their policy objectives for missing nutrients and maximum permitted levels for nutrients within the provision of the Food Supplements Directive. [HL3480]
§ Lord WarnerThe issues of missing nutrients and maximum permitted levels for nutrients within the provisions of the Food Supplements Directive are just two of a number of policy issues being addressed by the Food Labelling and Standards (FLS) Division of the Food Standards Agency. FLS Division has a budget for 2003–04 of £3.187 million and a complement of 37 full-time equivalent staff. The FLS divisional business plan lists work on food supplements as high priority.
§ Earl Howeasked Her Majesty's Government:
When last they discussed their policy objectives for food supplements with counterparts in other member states; with whom such discussions were held; and what progress was made. [HL3485]
§ Lord WarnerThe Government are firmly committed to the view that, in the interests of consumer choice, the law should allow food supplements that are safe and properly labelled to be freely marketed.
The most recent formal discussions on this issue took place in the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses in November 2002 and involved representatives of all European Union member states other than Luxembourg; no firm 136WA conclusions were reached. The next key action at EU level will be a proposal for maximum permitted levels of nutrients in food supplements. The Government's view, which we are strongly arguing, is that these should be based on safety considerations rather than supposed need so as to neither unnecessarily limit consumer choice nor unduly restrict trade.
The Food Standards Agency, which is responsible for negotiations on this issue, is taking every opportunity to press this case bilaterally with member states. In addition, in May, the Food Standards Agency wrote to EU member states to advise them of the conclusions of the United Kingdom Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals (EVM) on safe intakes of vitamins and minerals. The EVM's advice will form the basis of the UK's position when substantive discussions at EU level take place in due course.