Promises from No.10

Representatives of the natural health industry went to Downing Street on October 1 to present the Prime Minister's Policy Adviser on Health with concerns over the Food Supplements and Traditional Herbal Medicines Directives.The delegation, consisting of representatives from Consumers for Health Choice, Holland & Barrett, GNC and the National Association of Health Stores, welcomed the commitment from the Prime Minister's office that they would reconsider the UK's stance on the proposals. Mr Blair's team promised to review the impact of the proposals and take up the issue with the Department of Health and the MCA. It is expected that the likely financial and economic impact of the new regulations - which could lead to the loss of over 20,000 jobs and thousands of safe natural health products - will be one of the key issues for discussion.

Margaret Peet, Managing Director of GNC, who attended the meeting said: "The Government advocates 'informed choice' for individuals in every other area of health policy and we hope that the Government will recognise that consumers should be free to choose safe supplements, rather than bowing to European bureaucracy."