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South Africa Lodges Official Complaint With Codex Commission Exposing Massive Corruption at Codex
Note: Post this alert, not the previous one sent today, the previous one was cut off at the end and was not complete
IAHF List: Please read the complaint & comments below from the South African Codex Delegation to the Codex Committee on Food Labeling and to the Committee on Nutrition and Foods For Special Dietary Uses.
The Complaint demands that Codex not finalize the draft guideline for Nutrition and Health Claims which is currently at the final stage (step 8) in the process of acceptence.
In a nutshell- South Africa is demanding that health claims be allowed to be made in the finalized standard under joint development by the Codex committees on Food Labeling and the Committee on Nutrition for foods and for dietary supplements because there is overwhelming scientific evidence attesting to the fact that dietary supplements CAN be used successfully in the treatment and prevention of numerous diseases AND that this fact does NOT "make them into drugs."
South Africa's complaint to Codex underscores what I've been telling the public about CODEX since 1996 when I was the first to call it to global attention- that a VAST GLOBAL SCREWING is in the works to destroy consumer access to dietary supplements and to truthful health information about them unless we all work together to OPPOSE IT on EVERY LEVEL.
South Africa has lodged this complaint in the aftermath of being kicked in the TEETH at the Codex meeting on Food Labeling in Montreal a few weeks ago. If you missed my report on that, you'll find it on the IAHF website at http://www.iahf.com/20040517.html
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1) Forward this alert to more people and urge them to sign onto the IAHF email distribution list for updates at http://www.iahf.com
2) If you need help "connecting the dots" on the Codex issue, see this RED ALERT http://www.corsello.com/politics/politics_red_alerts.htm
3) Make a donation to the ANH lawsuit to overturn the EU Food Supplement Directive at http://www.alliance-natural-health.org The ANH lawsuit is KEY to monkeywrenching CODEX.
ANH CAN WIN with enough grass roots support.
4) Copy South Africa's Comments to Codex (Below) and email them to:
A) Your Countries Codex Delegates for the Codex Committees on Food Labeling and the Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses.
Americans should email comments to Robert.Lake@cfsan.fda.gov and to mary.cutshall@fsis.usda.gov [IAHF will be providing a form letter in a future email alert if you would rather send one I generate]
For other countries Get the email addresses for your countries delegate from the list at ftp://ftp.fao.org/codex/alinorm04/al04_22e.pdf
Comments from South Africa to the Codex Commission
(2004)
CL 2004/22-FL
Draft Guideline for Use of Nutrition and Health Claims at step
8 for adoption by the Commission
South Africa is concerned that a Draft Guideline is presented for adoption at Step 8 that contains a section that is no longer sustainable because of overwhelming scientific evidence that contradicts the message of this section. Since Codex adopted the principle that Standards and Guidelines should be based on scientific evidence, the above-mentioned Guideline should not be adopted at Step 8 with this section still in operation.
In the following documents, the WHO, acknowledges the role of "diet and nutrition in the prevention of chronic diseases"', and the "promotion of optimal nutrition amonq consumers throuqh adequate labellinq and the use of health claims, to assist them in makinq the riqht choices"z:
1. "WHO Technical Report on Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases" (2003)
2. WHO's Director-General's report of the Joint FAO/WHO evaluations of the work of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Fifty sixth World Health Assembly Provisional agenda 14.19, reference A 56/34, dated 3 April 2004), paragraph 23. In paragraph 17 the Director-General noted that the Codex Commission recommends that the scope of the Commission should also fully cover health-related aspects of food standards.
In our opinion two Codex Committee's failed to implement this policy recommendation of science-based decisions, namely CCNFSDU 2003 and CCFL 2004 by not acknowledging -
1. In the case of CCNFSDU 2003: The use of the wording "prevention of chronic diseases" in the preamble to the document Proposed Draft Guidelines for Vitamin and Mineral supplements", based on an outdated clause in the Codex general Guidelines on Claims (CAC/GL 1-1979 (Rev. 1-1991) which prohibits claims as to the suitability of a food for use in the prevention, alleviation, treatment or cure of a disease; and
2. In the case of CCFL 2004: The revision of the Codex general Guidelines on Claims (CAC/GL 1-1979 (Rev. 1-1991) to update the abovementioned clause to reflect the latest scientific evidence that nutrients can heal nutritional deficiency diseases and certain metabolic disorders, can prevent chronic diseases and can be used as an alternative option in the treatment of some diseases.
WHO finds it acceptable to use the word "diseases" when referring to diet and nutritional policies which are within the scope of Codex Alimentarius. In other
words, the fact that foods and nutrients can prevent diseases and some cases cure diseases (e.g., classical deficiency diseases and certain metabolic disorders) do not make these foods and nutrients medicines from a scientific point of view. Dictations from national legislation should not be permitted to influence and allow incorrect statements in a global Guideline.
South Africa recommends that the Draft Guideline for Use of Nutrition and Health Claims not be adopted at step 8 by the Commission and that section 3.4 of the Codex general Guidelines on Claims (CAC/GL 1-1979 (Rev. 1-1991) which prohibits claims as to the suitability of a food for use in the prevention, alleviation, treatment or cure of a disease be revised to correctly reflect scientific evidence. 