IADSA Fights to Keep Key Additives in Food Supplements

The International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations (IADSA) has pledged to continue fighting to retain key additives used in food supplements in the Codex ‘General Standard for Food Additives’ list this year.

Last year IADSA managed to prevent the deletion of four additives (Iron oxides, Castor oil, Chlorophylls/copper complexes and Erythrosine) at meetings of both the Codex Additives Committee and the Codex Commission, and successfully raised the levels of an additional three – BHA, BHT and Carnauba wax.

As the consultation enters its next phase the association has acknowledged that the battle is far from over as proposals to lower permitted levels of some additives widely used in food supplements remain on the table. A US-led working group – of which IADSA is a member – has deliberated the issue and circulated a recommendation for comment from all Codex members. The recommendation and comments will then be submitted to the Codex Additives Committee in April for consideration.

“The establishment of a list of additives to be used freely in trade in food products has long been a goal for Codex,” said IADSA’s Manager of Regulatory Affairs, David Pineda Ereño. “We believe that deleting key additives from the General Standard for Food Additives list and adopting very low levels could create both considerable confusion in many countries and completely unnecessary barriers to trade.”

The Codex General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) sets down conditions for permitted food additives to be used in all foods. It is regularly updated to include additional food additive provisions adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

IADSA has played an active role in Codex over the last year providing input on a number of issues including the scientific basis of health claims, the application of risk analysis to the work of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses, provisions for dietary fibre, the Codex implementation of the WHO global strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, definition of advertising, proposed draft standard for ginseng products, the addition and revision of nutrient reference values for labelling purposes, and amendments the Codex General Principles for the Addition of essential Nutrients to Foods.

IADSA is the voice of the worldwide dietary supplement manufacturing industry and an accredited international non-governmental organisation (INGO) with a seat at the table of the main international regulatory bodies.

IADSA has more than doubled in size since its creation in 1998, and now represents 57 national trade associations and over 9,500 member companies.

Contact: David Pineda Ereño, IADSA Manager, Regulatory Affairs, 50 Rue de l’Association, 1000 Brussels, Belgium. T: +32 (0)2 209 1155, F: +32 (0)2 223 3064 E: davidpineda@iadsa.be.