In the UK, Consumers For Health Choice (CHC) released their final version of the comments submitted to the European Commission regarding the Maximum and Minimum Permitted Levels for Vitamins and Minerals in Foodstuffs. They seem to have stolen a march on the government's regulator.

Almost a year ago Britain's Food Standards Agency (FSA) set four principals that should form the basis of discussions over maximum levels. These are:

1. Consumers should have the right to make an informed choice unless their safety is compromised;
2. an evidence base is necessary to ensure consumer safety is safeguarded;
3. there is a need for ongoing monitoring of supplements in the marketplace to continue to support the evidence base; and
4. the evidence base needs to take into account the risk assessment by scientific experts.

At this stage the CHC's comments regarding setting maximum and minimum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in foodstuffs centre on supporting interpretation and implementation of legistlation that provides consumers with accurate information upon which they may make informed, individual choices. Their comments were framed around the following questions.

1. What should be the upper safe limit for nutrients that have no scientifically established numerical tolerable intake levels?
2. Is there a reason to impose maximum levels for vitamin and minerals that are well tolerated even at high intake levels?
3. Should separate levels be set for dietary supplements and fortified foods?
4. Where should the Commission look to find data on vitamin and mineral intakes in the EU?
5. Can such data from certain Member States be used to set levels across Europe?
6. Should different population groups (pregnant women, the elderly) be taken into account when setting the levels?
7. How far should RDAs be taken into account when setting maximum vitamin and mineral levels?

One hopes that consumer lobby groups will continue to be effective. Unfortunately there has developed a quite strong bias by government regulators in favor of the drug and food industries, particularly the larger and more powerful companies. I believe part of the problem stems from the inappropriate "economics" view prevalent in Western society whereby people are actually valued only as consumers.