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Note: If you are a manufacturer, supplier, distributor, retailer or Health Food store(s) owner please read on!

 

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The Situation

What is the World Institute of Natural Health Sciences?

Why support the World Institute of Natural Health Sciences?

Help us now.

To make a donation

 

The Situation: European Union legislation, backed by well funded vested interests, is set to ban many of the food supplements we normally take for granted. Worse yet, the United Nations, through their Codex Alimentarius Commission, is seeking to adopt this restrictive European legislation and apply it world wide in the name of ‘trade harmonization’ and the World Trade Organization will act as the enforcement branch for all UN member nations.

Despite falsely reassuring communications issued earlier by a number of industry associations, freedom of choice and access to natural health remedies such as food supplements and herbs is at risk.

This will adversely affect the Natural Health Industry as a whole including vitamin and herbal remedy manufacturers, distributors and retailers, Health Food stores, Nutritionalists and Natural Health Practitioners and most importantly, the consumers they serve.

• Many vitamins and mineral forms will be eliminated completely.

• Maximum permitted dosages will be drastically reduced to "placebo" therapeutic levels.

• Herbal ingredients will also be severely restricted

IMPORTANT NOTE RE: COMPLIANCE OF FOOD SUPPLEMENT PRODUCTS IN EUROPE

For those companies that have not received from their trade associations the location of information about the status of derogations for the EU Food Supplements Directive, please refer to the links below:

EU wide dossier listings (not necessarily fully updated): http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/food/labellingnutrition/supplements/index_en.htm

UK dossier listings: http://www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/vitmin/supptable

These derogations prevent any ban on derogated ingredients from 1 August 2005, up until either the expiry of the derogation period on 31 December 2009, or rejection by the European Food Safety Authority.

Based on the clarification offered by the European Court of Justice judgment, handed down also on 12 July, it will not be possible for the dossiers, or positive list applications, to be rejected unless the EFSA can show an ingredient (or dosage) to be unsafe following "the most reliable scientific data available and the most recent results of international research."

We would like to point out that the World Institute of Natural health Sciences is not a trade association. It is a non-partisan, not-for-profit worldwide organization that works to help protect the leading edge of the natural products industry and its many beneficiaries, practitioners and especially consumers.

We would like also to note the important role that two UK trade associations, the National Association of Health Stores and the Health Food Manufacturers Association, have played in submitting dossiers for the derogation in the UK.

We are hopeful that the principle of mutual recognition between EU Member States will be applied generously so that the large numbers of UK dossiers are applicable in other Member States.

For the last two or three years many major players in the European food supplements industry have been confused about how to respond to the EU Food Supplements

Directive, already passed in to EU (June 2002) and member state laws (July 2003).

Confusion appears to have stemmed particularly from the varying impact that the directive was set to have on different sectors of the industry.

Our organization, the World Institute of Natural Health Sciences (WINHS) supports innovative supplement suppliers, practitioners and consumers in the US, throughout Europe and elsewhere. We are particularly concerned about the potential loss of food-form nutrients. Initially, since the proposed restriction are to be applied only to vitamins and minerals, of particular concern is the Directive's effect on substances like the natural forms of vitamin E (mixed tocopherols/tocotrienols), mixed carotenoids and methylcobalamin, as well as wide range of food-form, organic mineral forms.

Allied groups have argued that the initial phase of the Food Supplements Directive is the thin corner of the wedge, which has the potential to devastate innovation in the industry. However, Subsequent phases of the FSD, such as limits to nutrient doses, and restrictions on nutrient sources other than vitamins and minerals, will over time - if unchallenged - force many innovative manufacturers or suppliers in Europe, as well as independent retailers and practitioners reliant on these products, out of business over a period of years.

With so may new EU Directives in the pipeline, the imposition of international guidelines through Codex Alimentarius, including the amended Human Medicinal Products (Pharmaceuticals) Directive, the picture for innovators worldwide looks gloomy unless the industry is prepared to oppose the legislation. Tightening GMP requirements will also make it increasingly difficult for producers of natural products.

What is the World Institute of Natural Health Sciences?
The World Institute of Natural Health Sciences is a non-profit, worldwide organization established to facilitate the protection of the natural and alternative health care industries; their sciences, and the individual's right of access.

We fully support the individual's basic right to make their own educated decisions and their own determination of all available treatments and therapies in order to maintain or reestablish a desirable level of health and well-being.

Further, its purpose includes the collection and synthesizing of research and technical developments from the scientific community in the fields of; nutrition, foods and food supplements, minerals and herbs and the alternative and natural health industries themselves. In addition, our purpose includes all of the work necessary to codify and simplify these reports in order to redirect them back into the community and public sectors for universal access and understanding.

The Institute has assisted allied groups to achieve major steps towards having the proposed EU bans on the majority of available food supplements corrected. With your help, the World Institute of Natural Health Sciences will continue to work and support allied groups towards appropriate legislation that secures the long-term future of alternative and natural healthcare and therapies.

Why support the World Institute of Natural Health Sciences?
The remarkable verdict of the Advocate General in the European Courts of Justice on April 5th, 2005 gave the natural health industry, consumers and practitioners real hope. Describing the provisions in the EU Food Supplements Directive "as clear as a black box," the Advocate General has recommended that the Directive be declared invalid under EU law.

Despite such strong and unprecedented language against the Directive, on July 12, 2005, the European Court chose to ignore the Advocate General’s recommendations and ruled in favor of the directive noting that their examination of the challenge referred to the Court revealed no factor to affect the validity of the Directive and was not in conflict with the laws of the Member States relating to food supplements.

Certainly it is not all over in Europe. In fact, it is only the beginning…

The World Institute of Natural Health Sciences is a professional organization in full support of the remarkable legal challenges to the EU Food Supplements Directive and future challenges to additional directives coming up which are as devastating as this one can be.

The Institute has a narrow window of opportunity to work with their EU associates as they renegotiate the legislation so that your right to choose leading-edge natural products including vitamins and minerals is secured. The time to act is NOW!

We believe that defensive legal challenges coupled with strong offensive programs directed at the sources and vested interests of this legislation will do much more to win the fight.

The Institute's programs and initiatives are of critical importance to consumers, practitioners, retailers and doctors who rely upon innovative and complex food supplements and alternative health care practices.

The World Institute of Natural Health Sciences focuses its work at the core of the problem whether this is in the EU, United States or internationally through Codex Alimentarius' all too similar agenda.

We can only do this with your financial support. Funds are needed RIGHT NOW.

And make no mistake, only by working at the heart of the problem with scientists, lawyers, expert researchers and communications specialists, can we make a difference.

Help us now.
$941,399 US (£500,000 / 731,070 EUR) is currently needed to cover the costs of campaign actions to successfully counter key anti-alternative and natural health care initiatives in 2007/08.

1. Make certain your associations and government representatives know and understand your position on the EU Directives and additional attacks on your right to access and choice worldwide through Codex Alimentarius.

2. Please support our campaigns and donate whatever you can, NOW. (EUR, £s or $). Whatever you can send – 50.00, 100.00, 500.00, 1000.00, or more.

With your financial support, the World Institute of Natural Health Sciences has a real chance to protect your right to use leading-edge food supplements and other natural health products.

Now is the chance to protect your right to natural health choices. This is a critical time for the future of natural health choice.
What are these funds needed for?

1. Professional fees to assist the European Court challenges and the support necessary to develop further legal challenges to medicinal law in the EU.

2. Support of groundbreaking technical, scientific and legal work on EU threats and consultations with regulators Professional public affairs lobbying in Brussels.

3. An expanded public and media awareness campaign to garner additional support.

4. Successful implementation of a worldwide celebrity endorsement campaign in the media, promotions and documentaries for television.

5. The translation of scientific breakthroughs in innovative and alternative health into digestible layman's terms to increase accessibility and understanding of scientific findings, technical reports and legislation information concerning natural health, medical practices, drugs and drug manufacturing, food supplements, herbs, and innovative and alternative health care developments.

6. The acquisition and utilization of professional and volunteer researchers to document local, regional, national and international legislation concerning natural health, medical practices, drugs and drug manufacturing, food supplements, herbs, and innovative and alternative health care developments.

7. The research, documentation and promotion of vested interests, their activities and funding used to influence legislators and legislation for corporate and personal gain.

To make a donation:

You can support the World Institute of Natural Health Sciences' campaigns and programs in a number of safe and secure ways.

1. We suggest that you use our secure web payment system, and note that you are not required nor obligated to join or become a member – this is totally optional.



If you prefer, rather than making a donation through our secure web payment system you can make a donation direct to the World Institute of Natural Sciences.

2. By standing order: Please download the standing order mandate, complete the form and send it directly to your bank. Once this is done, please send an email to info@winhs.org with the amount and frequency or telephone 1.818.951.7933.

3. By check: Checks can be sent direct to our registered office and should be made payable to the 'World Institute of Natural Health Sciences' and sent to:

For North & South America - send to:
The World Institute of Natural Health Sciences
Leicester House
11417 Mt. Gleason Avenue
Los Angeles, CA USA 91042

For Europe - send to:
The World Institute of Natural Health Sciences
Suite 7, Bulrushes Farm
Coombe Hill Road
East Grinstead
West Sussex, UK

4. By Inter-Bank Transaction / Bank wire: You may wish to make a donation by bank transaction using. Please email info@winhs.org for more details or telephone 1.818.951.7933.

Thank you for supporting the World Institute of Natural Health Sciences and your right to natural healthcare!