Tighter controls on the labelling of food supplements could lead to wide-ranging changes in the way the products are made.
The EU parliament today voted to oblige manufacturers of vitamin and mineral supplements to submit their products for EU testing, provide full details of ingredients and include recommended dosage and possible side-effects on labels.
An estimated 300 over-the-counter products will come under rules similar to those applied to medicines and foodstuffs.
Local manufacturers and retailers say they will be faced with the prospect of a drop-off in business. However, they have the opportunity to lobby the Irish Government because each member state has yet to accept the ruling.
If the EU parliament decision is endorsed then manufacturers will three year to meet the requirements.
Manufacturers of ‘conventional’ (allopathic) medicine back the proposals but supplement makers say the ruling could mean consumers will not be able to buy products needed to boost their vitamin or mineral levels at particular times of need.
In an unusual development, MEPs ordered an inquiry into the lobbying activities of a Dutch food-supplement manufacturer who jammed European Parliament e-mail systems for the second time today to press his claim that extra costs would push health food stores out of business.
Additional reporting PA