| Europe is effectively the most influential entity at | | | | international organisations. These organisations include |
| Codex and the EU Food Supplements Directive is | | | | the Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission |
| essentially the de facto blueprint for the Codex | | | | for food safety; the Office International des |
| Guidelines for vitamin and mineral supplements. | | | | Epizooties (OIE) for animal health; and the |
| As a result of international trade agreements such as | | | | International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) for |
| the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS | | | | plant health." |
| Agreement), Codex texts, guidelines and standards | | | | It appears that pursuing policies of appeasement or |
| are effectively mandatory for all WTO Members. | | | | attempting to work within the restrictive parameters |
| Additionally, as the WTO does not distinguish | | | | set by the European Food Supplements Directive by |
| between guidelines and standards, and utilizes Codex | | | | the natural health industry would only serve to soften |
| texts to resolve international trade disputes, a | | | | the blow, but only temporarily. |
| finalised Codex text would likely have the ability to | | | | Unless the innovative side of the natural health |
| countermand the dietary supplement laws of all WTO | | | | industry sufficiently coheres to effectively place this |
| member countries - overriding even the United | | | | issue back "on the radar" in Congress and other |
| States and its hard-fought victory in its passage of | | | | legislative bodies and fight back, it is difficult to see |
| the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act | | | | how it can continue to effectively serve its |
| (DSHEA). | | | | adherents and the consumers it serves in the not |
| The numerous coercions in place for governments to | | | | too distant future. |
| adopt Codex guidelines and standards texts appear | | | | Until serious changes are made to the manner in |
| to be such that they leave little option but to comply. | | | | which Codex currently operates, it would not be |
| In fact, as already noted, the Codex Alimentarius | | | | unreasonable to expect that other European |
| Commission itself has no uncertainty of their own as | | | | health-related legislation, such as their very restrictive |
| to whether WTO Member nations have to comply | | | | regulations on nutrition and health claims, will also |
| with the guidelines and standards they set. According | | | | become the blueprints for further standards to be |
| to published documents from their Twenty-Seventh | | | | enacted on a globally harmonised basis. |
| Session in Genève Switzerland, 28 June - 3 | | | | The planetary effects upon natural health, and by |
| July 2004: | | | | implication public health, would be both profound and |
| "Members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) | | | | disastrous. |
| are required to base their domestic technical | | | | END |
| regulations or standards on standards developed by | | | | For more information, log onto WINHS. |