NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HEALTH STORES AND THE EU FOOD SUPPLEMENTS DIRECTIVE

That this House notes with concern reports that at a recent meeting officials of the European Commission's Directorate-General Health and Consumer Affairs compared the United Kingdom's natural health product sector unfavourably to the tobacco and alcohol industries and added that the prohibition of higher potency vitamin and mineral supplements, currently accepted as safe by the Food Standards Agency, was an acceptable price to pay for the harmonisation of the market for supplements throughout the European Union; further notes the detailed impact assessment conducted by the National Association of Health Stores about the potential effect upon UK specialist retailers of a restrictive interpretation of the EU Food Supplements Directive; is alarmed by the Association's conclusions that up to 59 per cent. or 700 of such independent stores may close and 76 per cent. experience a significant impact upon staffing levels in such a scenario, leading to substantial job losses and further damage to high streets around the country; and calls on Ministers at the Department of Health, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to redouble their efforts to make the European Commission see sense on this matter, in the interests both of the independent health food retailers and consumer choice.