To: "Health Freedom, Codex Issues
Subject: CODEX: We're By No Means Out Of The Woods Yet - Detailed Reasons Why & What To Do
From: John Hammell jham@iahf.com
Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2001 17:18:03 -0500

EU VITAMIN FREEDOM TO DIE IN JANUARY? REST OF THE WORLD NEXT? ADDED INPUT FROM EUROPE - PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENT OF VICTORY PREMATURE

IAHF List: The global battle to preserve consumer access to dietary supplements requires our constant vigilance, because the battle is being fought on many fronts simultaneously, and apparent victories can be very illusory. I hate to say it, but I was premature in announcing victory just because the Codex vitamin agenda was deadlocked and did not move beyond step 3 at the Codex meeting that ends in Berlin today.

Some more details of whats happening in Europe have just been called to my attention, and I must share them with you so that together, we can figure out solutions to the dilemma thats presenting itself.

The most challenging aspect of this global war over vitamins is that the Pharma Cartel has learned from their mistakes in America in the early 90's, and they have devised a truly Machavellian takeover plan which is very hard to stop due to its incremental nature.

In my last report, I didn't have enough information from what happened in Berlin to properly inform you. Although the vitamin proposal did not advance beyond step 3 and remains deadlocked, unfortunately, the Pharma Cartel still advanced by getting dangerous language pushing for vitamin potencies to be restricted to RDA limits inserted into square brackets. This is dangerous due to the threat of the EU Vitamin Directive being pushed through to completion in January, and being extremely restrictive. (THE EU HAS TREMENDOUS INFLUENCE AT CODEX).

Also, it has come to my attention that Kenya, Tanzania, Romania, Greece, and Malaysia sought to introduce working to either make the Guideline more restrictive, or to allow them to introduce more restrictive legislation than that contained in the draft guideline. The governments who are normally vocal in promoting a more liberal approach and countering these countries were quiet this year which left an impression that this relatively small group of countries were speaking on behalf of the majority.

The outcome of the two key issues of "scope" and "maximum levels" were as follows:

- The scope of the Guideline: There is no indication in the Guideline that supplements may contain ingredients other than vitamins or minerals. Some governments are interpreting this to mean that only vitamins and minerals can be contained in supplements. The European Commission raised this issue and made a proposal for modifying the Guideline. This was rejected by Greece. IADSA then supported the Commission but the Chairman of the meeting decided that no further discussion would be held on this. A further attempt by US CRN to bring acceptable wording to the Guideline was also not taken on by Chairman Grossklaus.

- Setting of Maximum Levels: The EU put forward its proposal on calculating maximum levels which is contained in the EU draft Directive on food supplements (risk assessment + intake from all sources + due account of the RDA). A significant number of Governments (mainly European) agreed that this should be included or should be considered.It was agreed that this wording will now be placed in square brackets in the relevant section of the Draft Guideline for discussion at the next meeting.

OF CONCERN TO CONSUMERS

The outcome of the EU Directive (in January) may have a profound influence over the Codex Guideline. With the wording of the EU Directive on maximum levels now an option in the Codex Guideline the two are more closely linked than ever before. When Europe establishes Maximum Levels, it can be expected to also seek to have these agreed at the Codex level, and this would force all 15 EU nations, including England and Holland, to outnumber America, and other countries desiring access to high potency vitamins. America would then be obligated under International law to change its domestic laws to coincide with the Codex Guideline, or face costly trade sanctions. This could destroy health freedom world wide. The Congressional Research Service has confirmed to Congressmen Ron Paul and De Fazio that this is a very legitimate concern to any Americans that value their access to dietary supplements.

HERE IS WHATS GOING ON

A powerful faction of the supplement industry in Europe are complete WHORES. This faction totally oppose American vitamin companies doing business in Europe, which they regard as an intrusion on "their" market, and consumers (world wide) be DAMNED! This faction only cares about one thing. You guessed it- MONEY. All they care about is increasing their marketshare by being able to sell products in more EU nations with the help of so called "HARMONIZATION" and they really don't care what concessions they have to make to the EU Commission and EU Parliament to GET this expanded market. They don't care if it means sacrificing potency levels, or not being able to include certain ingredients in products, and they really don't care that much if it means they can no longer sell many products that they can sell now. If they can get MORE MONEY by expanding marketshare---they'll do ANYTHING necessary to do so.

There is a group in England called the National Association of Health Stores (NAHS) run by a health food store owner named Ralph Pike in Manchester, England. Over the years I have come to know and deeply respect this man, because his heart is absolutely in the right place, and his #1 concern is to keep as many products as possible, and all high potency vitamins available to his customers, and for himself, his wife, and children because as a family, they believe deeply in the value of taking care of their health.

Although NAHS has a mailing list of over 200,000 vitamin consumers in England who are doing everything they can to defend their access to dietary supplements, the FACTION, that has sold out, and just wants to increase their marketshare- even if that means sacrificing potency levels and many products being removed from the shelves, makes the ludicrous allegation that NAHS isn't a "true consumer group" and Ralph Pike has been accused of being nothing more than a "shill for American business interests." Given this man's genuine devotion to the cause of health freedom, this allegation is a gross insult, and IAHF will not stand idly by and not try to help him in his efforts because in January- the EU is threatening to ram the EU Vitamin Directive down the throats of everyone in Europe, and via CODEX, the WORLD.

WHAT IAHF IS DOING

IAHF is making numerous trans Atlantic phone calls to the individuals and groups that are truly fighting hard against the EU Vitamin Directive in an effort to help coordinate their efforts, to assist in catalyzing the burgeoning European health freedom movement. Our insight and input is valued by the Europeans because we have already had this battle in America, but my message to all Americans is that the battle is by no means over as there are people in our midst here who have been actively selling us out, and setting us up, just as is happening in Europe.

The Europeans would not be in as desperate straights as they are if the huge efforts to destroy IAHF over the years had not been made. In 1999 due to death threats in S.Florida, I was forced to move to a more secure location. Prior to that, in 1997, Nature's Way, which has since been sold to the largest German phytopharmaceutical company (Madaus), spearheaded an effort to destroy IAHF due to our efforts on Capital Hill to amend the FDA Modernization Act of 1997 to remove dietary supplements from the harmonization language that threatens all OTHER products that fall under the purview of the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act. The German led faction that attempted to destroy IAHF at that time included the Controlled Opposition Group Citizens for Health, which has consistently lied to the American people by falsely claiming that our domestic laws are not threatened with harmonization to international standards.

This German led faction put up a website, which is no longer in cyberspace, that was called "CODEXFACTS.COM" Their intent was to libel me personally, and to attempt to do spin control against all of IAHF's information.After selling out for millions of dollers to the Germans, (who seek global control over the herbal market and who seek to turn herbs into "drugs" Ken Murdock, former owner of Nature's Way, now owns a car dealership in Utah and has left the supplement industry entirely, after doing incalculable harm to the cause of health freedom- all due to his personal greed. It is due mainly to the instigation of Murdock that Citizens for Health has never told vitamin consumers the truth about Codex. (They say it is a "non issue" that "can't impact our domestic law, but can only impact the international sales of vitamins.") Well, the Congressional Research Service, Congressmen Ron Paul, and Congressman Peter De Fazio do not agree with this incorrect assessment.

Nature's Way was built on the back of Dr.John Christopher's whole herbal formulas, and they used to have a licensing agreement with Christopher Enterprises to never change John Christoper's whole herbal formula. Christopher opposed the standardization of herbs because to standardize an herb is to alter its natural synergy by adding one or more of its constituents back into the mix in order to increase its potency. This turns an herb into a drug, and its not necessary to do in order to have a good herbal product, all that is necessary is to know what time of year to harvest the herb for maximum potency, and its necessary to know the right techniques for organic growing. Ken Murdock urinated on his agreement with Christopher Enterprises by selling out to German pharmaceutical interests and by standardizing all of his products at the same time. Nature's Way is an FDA licensed OTC drug manufacturing facility, and even before they sold out to German giant Madaus, they have been trying to drive their competition out of business by getting herbs classified as "drugs".

This is why they made no effort to alert the public when herbs were shifted out of Codex and over to a secret committee at the World Health Organization. At Codex, at least products are considered foods, as is consistent with US law. At WHO, however, all dietary supplements are considered "drugs". When this shift occurred due to an illegal move by Dr.Beth Yetley of the FDA at the Codex meeting in Bonn in '96, Nature's Way made no effort to do anything about it, and their consultant, Alex Schauss, then Executive Director of Citizens for Health, did everything possible to help his client by trying to get me fired from my job, and by doing spin control against all of my Codex information.

So, where are we now as vitamin consumers trying to stop the pending pharmaceutical takeover?

The EU Vitamin Directive is coming down in January, threatening to ban high potency vitamins in all 15 EU nations including in England and Holland (which are currently allied with the USA against a restrictive Codex vitamin guideline.

Third world countries like Tanzania and Kenya are opposing us at Codex due to the influence of pharmaceutical biopirates operating in their countries where they are buying off the indigenous African healers, milking them of their knowledge in order to turn herbs into drugs.

Language is in square brackets at Codex, just waiting to be unleashed on us via the EU, which threatens to move in the wrong direction in January.

American vitamin companies have been lied to by pharmaceutical interests dominating our vitamin trade associations, so they don't think codex poses any threat to our domestic law. Burton whitewashed the oversight hearing on March 20 2001, so the truth did not come out. Every effort possible, including death threats have been used to try to silence me and to destroy IAHF, not only because I threaten pharmaceutical interests, but because the Codex vitamin issue threatens to galvanize huge numbers of Americans against the WTO and the UN.

What we need badly right now is for American vitamin companies to make donations to the National Assn of Health Stores in the UK to help them do TV advertising with celebrities to rally the grass roots throughout Europe against the EU vitamin directive.

I predict that unless this happens, consumer access to high potency dietary supplements, and to a lot of other dietary supplements all over the world, including the USA, will come to an end, except by prescription.

If you doubt that our domestic laws are subject to harmonization to international standards, go to http://www.tradewatch.org

Please continue sending form letters to members of the European Parliament via http://www.vitamins-for-all/org.

If you would like to donate funds to assist in an ad campaign in Europe to defend health freedom, please donate them to: IAHF POB 625 Floyd VA 24091 USA or via paypal at http://www.iahf.com or directly to Ralph Pike at the National Assn of Health Stores in the UK. Pike can be reached from the USA at 011441142495345

National Association of Health Stores
PO Box 1455
Sheffield
South Yorkshire
England
S7 2YD

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