Codex: Safe Upper Limits Based on Science, Not RDAs 36119

Codex: Safe Upper Limits Based on Science, Not RDAs

BONN, GermanyMembers of theU.S. natural products industry attending the Codex Committee on Nutrition andFoods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) announced a major victory forsupplement makers recommended daily allowances (RDAs) will not be used toestablish safe upper limits (ULs) for dietary supplements. Codex is a jointventure between the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food andAgricultural Organization (FAO) that promotes consumer health, food standardsand fair trade between nations.

According to John Hathcock, Ph.D., vice president ofscientific and regulatory affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition(CRN), The big news here is that we finally persuaded enough governments todrop the RDA-based ULs and go for pure safety-based limits.

Besides agreeing on removing RDAs as the measuring stick forsafe ULs, the group addressed other labeling issues affecting the industry. Aprovision was stricken that would have required all dietary supplements to carrya statement that the products should only be taken on the advice of anutritionist, dietitian or doctor. Also, the European Unions (EU) delegationintroduced a proposal that packages carry a statement cautioning adults to keepsupplements out of childrens reach.

Byron Johnson, CRN chairman, was also at the meeting. TheCodex meeting was a great leap forward for the dietary supplement industry,he said. The proposal of following 100-percent RDAs as the safe ULs is nolonger a possibility, which means supplement makers will have some room tomarket their products. He added it has been a long and arduous road toaccomplish this goal.

Why has it taken so long for the Codex guidelines to move asfar as they have? According to Hathcock, the Codex is an eight-step process, andit was stuck on step threeas a draftfor approximately a decade. Now itsat step five, with a prospect of going to step eightgaining Codex Commissionapprovalby 2004. Based on current momentum, the guidelines could beimplemented as early as two years from now. Its still a little ways off,but the guidelines had been stalemated for eight years and hadnt movedanywhere, Hathcock said. This is suddenly movement, and movement in theright direction.

Johnson said that through a lot of work by CRN, IADSA(International Alliance of Dietary Supplement Associations) and the EU, theprocess is now moving forward. Part of it was educating some of the delegateswhat some of the criteria should be for setting safe ULs, he stated. RDAshave nothing to do with that and everything to do with daily nutrition.

Another U.S. delegate at the meetingJim Roza, director ofquality assurance, NOW Foodsstated, Compared to last years proceedings,this session was managed much more effectively by the chair. This is veryencouraging in terms of preserving our industrys interests and developing newalliances.