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British Celebs Claim Victory in ‘Save Our Vitamins’ War
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Added: 02/07/2004
Type: Summary
Viewed: 1552 time(s)
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British Celebs Claim Victory in ‘Save Our Vitamins’ War
European campaigners fighting a ban on thousands of vitamins and food supplements won a major legal victory in Britain.
Jenny Seagrove was among celebrities at the High Court in London to welcome a decision to refer the dispute to European judges.
Fellow actresses Belinda Lang, of the BBC1 sitcom 2 Point 4 Children, and Tracey Childs, of the drama Born And Bred, were also in the packed courtroom.
They were accompanied by Gordon Newman, who writes and produces the BBC1 drama Judge John Deed, starring Miss Seagrove.
Consumers and the health food industry had said they were ' outraged' by the proposed ban, contained in the controversial EU Food Supplements Directive.
Mr Justice Richards had been asked to refer the directive to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg on the grounds that it was unlawful and would unfairly affect millions of people, threatening both health and trade.
Agreeing to the request despite Government opposition, the judge ruled there was ' an arguable case' and that the matter should be referred to the European Court 'as soon as possible'.
The court alone has the power to quash the directive.
Miss Seagrove said before the hearing: 'I am here today because I believe that each and every one of us should have the right to choose what supplements we take, and have been taking very happily and healthily for many years.' The directive, which is to be enforced on August 1, 2005, is designed to harmonise the market across all EU member states.
Opponents say it will result in many of the currently available forms of essential minerals, including calcium, magnesium, zinc and selenium, being removed from sale.
They fear later parts of the legislation may also see drastic restrictions on the potency of vitamins and minerals.
That would remove a further of products that have been used safely in the UK for many years.
Miss Seagrove, 45, has been a vocal campaigner against the EU ban.
She regularly takes echinacea, zinc, vitamin C, milk thistle, selenium and silver colloid.
The actress is convinced that modern food is so highly refined that it is difficult to get enough nutritional value from it which is why she takes supplements every day.
She said: 'I'm a good advertisement for the positive effects of supplements.
If I get a cold, I shake it off within a day, and I haven't needed to see my GP in years.
'For me, this is about freedom of choice being taken away, and for that I am prepared to fight.' |
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