In its near half-century of existence Codex has emerged as the self-proclaimed international authority on food and nutrition. Intent on dictating or significantly influencing international health and nutritional policies and legislation, and backed by international trade agreements and the United Nations, Codex has done much to accomplish unimpeded protection of chemical and pharmaceutical interests on a global scale – much to the detriment of sustainable health and nutrition. While there are approximately 30 committees under the banner of Codex, the pharmaceutical industry's focus is mainly within the "Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses." The committee's actions and published materials give the impression that their view of the natural health industry is as "an unwanted competitor" as opposed to that of an "adjunct" as it is viewed in the emergent integrated medicine industry.
Codex's more recent efforts seem to focus on the prevention of vitamins and other natural supplementation from upsetting the market share of beta-blockers, calcium antagonists, blood pressure and cholesterol lowering products and other unessential, dangerous and often lethal pharmaceutical "wonder drugs." Present day Germany remains the leading exporter of pharmaceutical products in the world. The political and economic bond to the pharmaceutical industry is obvious and astounding.
With such an obvious conflict of interest, how can it remain that the Government of the German Federal Republic is allowed to remain in charge of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses? The true aims of Codex Alimentarius can more clearly be deciphered by their actions as opposed to their misleading and voluminous press releases. Following anti-vitamin legislation bullied into the evolving European Union in 2002, these aims include the worldwide adoption of this European legislation in the form of international recommendations and standards. "Standards" that will reduce the overall number of available vitamins and natural supplements, dramatically lower legally allowable maximum dosage levels down to virtual ineffectiveness, reclassify supplements as medicine and wholly ban published statements on the beneficial effects of vitamins and other natural remedies while making such statements a punishable legal offense.
Note: These supplements are scheduled to be removed from online sites and store shelves in 2009.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is now working to accomplish an international standard for the Maximum Permitted (dosage) Levels (MPLs) for the remaining 1/3rd of approved supplements along with additional laws that will reclassify supplements as medicines. Using this new edict, the pharmaceutical industry can continue to extend its own zone of influence as it sees fit.
The pharmaceutical industry has succeeded in classifying as little as 500 milligrams of vitamin C in tablet form as a medication and, as with most existing vitamins, one that requires a doctor's prescription in Germany. The pharmaceutical industry knows that most people have no clear understanding of the restrictions that Codex brings even to the non-European nations and has helped to disguised them with complex legal jargon and glib marketing spin. They continue to lobby and spend enormous amounts of money on biased media campaigns to confuse and hide the facts.
Remarkably, even a number of natural health industry trade associations, with ties to pharmaceutical funding, have continued to forward slanted and misleading information to their own members further confusing the issue.
We suggest that more individuals and groups learn the truth behind the European anti-vitamin legislation and Codex Alimentarius and ask that you find out for yourself what the facts really are. Numerous original documents and additional information is available free on the WINHS.ORG web site www.winhs.org. Read the Codex Alimentarius Commission document.
A detailed report: " Codex Impact on Non-European Countries," which explains the history and authority of Codex in simple terms is also available.
We urge you to talk to as many people as possible about this situation, including your government representatives, and help to get more people directly involved in the campaign to revert it. See www.winhs.org/campaign Also see "Codex," a new trailer by the World Institute of Natural Health Sciences (WINHS) which quickly and simply alerts to the situation noted and refers to the web site for more information.
Rudi C. Loehwing is Managing Director World Institute of Natural Health Sciences www.winhs.org
