HL Deb 10 September 2003 vol 652 c129WA
Lord Beaumont of Whitley

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What actions they are taking to ensure that maximum permitted levels of nutrients in supplements under the Food Supplements Regulations are set on the basis of safety, rather than nutritional need; and what help they intend to give manufacturers to enable them to prepare dossiers for the Food Safety Authority to facilitate the addition of nutrients to the list of permitted ingredients. [HL4264]

Lord Warner

The Government continue to argue for maximum permitted limits for vitamins and minerals in food supplements to be set on the basis of thorough risk assessments and will continue to press this view strongly at every opportunity.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has succeeded in getting the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to hold a meeting between representatives of the United Kingdom food supplements industry, the relevant Scientific Panel in the EFSA and the European Commission to discuss dossier requirements. The meeting will take place on 14 October. Furthermore, officials at the FSA have already had discussions with industry representatives to aid interpretation of dossier requirements and have offered to comment on proposed dossiers before these are submitted to the EFSA.