Scientists urge EU to reconsider maximum vitamin levels
A group of scientists is calling for the European Commission to review its proposals to limit the amounts of vitamins and minerals allowed in dietary supplements and fortified foods.
Experts from the Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) believe that the methods being considered for setting down maximum permitted levels are "unscientific" and "flawed" and are urging the commission to think again.
Dr Robert Verkerk, scientific director of the ANH, said: "The commission claims that its methods are scientific, but we have found that they do not stand up to scientific scrutiny."
The EU levels are expected to be finalised in 2009, but the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden and Ireland are likely to have to reduce the dosages commonly found in products.
Dr Verkerk pointed out: "You know something is wrong when they are thinking of limiting the dose of beta-carotene to the amount you'd find in just two carrots, and restricting selenium to the amount present in less than two brazil nuts.
"There seems to have been no attempt to test the models against real data."
Dr Damian Downing, president of the British Society of Ecological Medicine, agreed with the sentiments, describing the methods as "simply not fit for purpose".
"The resulting maximum levels, should these be implemented in law, would prevent many consumers from ingesting the levels of vitamins and minerals needed for optimal health and would also greatly interfere with consumer choice," the expert warned.
A group of scientists is calling for the European Commission to review its proposals to limit the amounts of vitamins and minerals allowed in dietary supplements and fortified foods.
