12 November 2007
The US-based National Health Federation (NHF), the world's longest-standing health-freedom organisation, is today beginning a week of meetings at the 29th session of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) in Bad Neuenahr, Germany. Expected to be attended by over 300 delegates, observers and advisors, representing about 70 member countries and over 30 international organizations, the Committee, sponsored by the Food & Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization, is the world's highest international body setting global standards and guidelines on nutrition.
With consumer members all over the world, and a board of governors and advisory board containing representatives from six countries, the NHF is unique as being the only consumer health-freedom organization in the world to enjoy official observer delegate status at Codex. The NHF therefore has the opportunity to make representations on behalf of natural health interests all over the world, which are presently being threatened by over-regulation stimulated by spurious science, misinformed media attacks and corporate pressure from large food and pharmaceutical concerns.
Making up the three-person NHF delegation at this year's meeting is Scott Tips, NHF's President and Legal Counsel, Dr Robert Verkerk, scientific advisor to the NHF and also Executive and Scientific Director of the Alliance for Natural Health, and Paul Anthony Taylor, the NHF's Chairman and also External Relations Director for the Dr Rath Foundation.
"Since Codex sets international principles, guidelines, and standards for all types of foods," said Scott Tips, "it is essential that the voice of vitamin consumers be heard adequately-and this has been our key focus at Codex ever since we've been involved. We are here to make a difference at these meetings and we can already see from our attendance at yesterday's Electronic Working Group meeting on risk assessment that a number of delegations are receptive to our ideas. "
Addressing some serious scientific concerns, Dr Robert Verkerk added, "In yesterday's meeting, we have managed to make a strong case that risk-assessment approaches presently being used in Europe-which are being pushed as global guidelines to be adopted through Codex-need to be urgently amended if they are not to prevent millions of people in both the less-developed and developed world from obtaining health-promoting levels of nutrients in foods and food supplements."
To find out more about Codex, and its potential implications to natural health, listen to the Codex special on the Alliance for Natural Health's Natural Health Hour on Californian-based internet radio station, www.aimhealthyradio.com, to be broadcast for the first time at 13:00h GMT today.
In an unfortunate development late last night, Dr Rima Laibow of the US-based Natural Solutions Foundation, issued an unprovoked attack on the NHF delegation through her daily email blog. The attack appeared to stem from Dr Laibow's frustration at not being able to make any comment during Codex meetings owing to the refusal of the Natural Solution Foundation's application for Codex 'observer status' in July 2006 (see further discussion in Editor's Notes below).
END.
For further information contact:
Dr Robert Verkerk
Scientific Advisor, NHF
Executive & Scientific Director, ANH
Tel: +44 (0)1306 646 600
Email: info@anhcampaign.org
Cheri L. Tips
Executive Director, NHF
Tel: +1 626-357-2181
Email: ct@thenhf.com
Editor's Notes:
1. Codex Committee on Nutrition and Food for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU): one of 27 committees of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, established under the auspices of the Food & Agricultural Organization and World Health Organization.
2. National Health Federation: established in 1955, the National Health Federation is a consumer-education, health-freedom organization working to protect individuals' rights to choose to consume healthy food, take supplements and use alternative therapies without unnecessary government restrictions. The NHF is the only such organization with recognized observer status at Codex meetings.
3. Alliance for Natural Health: The Alliance for Natural Health (ANH), founded in 2002, is a UK-based, internationally-active not-for-profit campaign organisation working to protect and promote sustainable approaches to healthcare through the use of 'good science' and 'good law.'
4. Natural Solutions Foundation blog, issued 11 November 2007, http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/index.php/?p=442
As is customary with a large body of the outputs from the Natural Solutions Foundation (NSF), this most recent email blog from the NSF's Medical Director, Dr Rima Laibow, contained numerous inaccuracies and misrepresentation of facts. Such inaccuracies have been reported previously by the Dr Rath Foundation, viz: http://www4.dr-rath-foundation.org/THE_FOUNDATION/Events/codex-beware.htm.
Dr Laibow's vehicle, the NSF, was founded in 2004 and applied for Codex 'observer status' in March 2006 (see full application on ftp://ftp.fao.org/codex/ccexec58/ex58_04e.pdf, p. 6). The application was refused by the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission in mid-2006 (www.codexalimentarius.net/download/report/661/al2903Ae.pdf, p. 14, item 109), and was confirmed at the 30th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission in July 2007 (ftp://ftp.fao.org/Codex/CAC/CAC30/if30_02e.pdf).
The article below has just been posted at
http://insights2.org/Canadian/Trudeau20070203.html
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...through Marjorie, 3^rd February, 2007
*M:* I/ am inviting Pierre...'Pierre Trudeau, please come as a guest,
and with your grace this house is blessed.///
*P: *That's lovely and my pleasure in being invited.
*M:* /You look like a breath of spring, with your mauve shirt and tie,
and look at that lovely pot of coral miniature roses...how thoughtful of
you.///
*P:* Today we are going to talk about the Codex Law which the rogue
Governments have been trying to pass for at least seven years. In the
'60s a very loose law was passed in Canada, regarding patenting and
approving prescription drugs into the marketplace, and as you know drugs
properly prescribed have killed more people than car accidents. The 'for
instances' of course were VioXX and Celebrex last year, but there are
hundreds of others. Codex requires that all natural remedies, herbal
supplements, vitamins, etc., any of the items you purchase at your
health-food stores or apothecaries, must carry bar coding and be
patented. This takes years and years of study and costs millions of
dollars. Most of the Companies manufacturing and distributing these
products would go out of business, prohibiting you from receiving the
health-giving products you are used to.
This law has been voted down many times, and Orem Hatch from Utah, one
of the few U.S. Senators who has my admiration, was successful due to
thousands and thousands of petitions in having it defeated two years
ago. They are very sneakily trying to have it put through without
notifying the Public.
This cannot be allowed to happen. Shout from the rooftops, send letters
to your newspapers, do what has to be done to stop this gross
manipulation of people's rights. /(Pierre is pacing...I can see he is so
upset).///
*M:*/ I will pass this message on and hopefully the Lightworkers//
//will unite to stop this madness. More and more of our rights are being
taken away every day.///
*P:* You are right. While you're at it...do me another favour. That
childcare credit is a joke and only helps the rich, and tomorrow's
generation are falling through the cracks. Mothers are having to
work...how can they not when housing prices are through the roof, and
rents and mortgages take 60% of the Dad's salary. We need to do here
what they do in France...they pay the mothers a full salary for years to
stay at home with their children until the child is of school age. That
is humane and civilized.
*M:* /You're giving me a huge lot to think about this morning, and I
know these Governments are corrupt, but what can the ordinary person do
to change things?///
*P:* Be aware, speak out and tell your friends and neighbors what is
going as they complacently sit on their duffs in front of a
preposterously programmed TV. Every drug ad you see, every programme is
that, subliminal programming to make you more and more brain-dead.
Child, that's the truth, you are aware enough to know it but millions don't.
*M:* /On a brighter note, I'm noticing buds on my magnolia tree which
tells me spring is not far away. Vancouver has had a wicked winter, but
probably not half as bad as the rest of the country. My son always said
when I lectured him 'Mom my brain is full' and that's how I feel//
//this morning.///
*P:* I didn't mean to scare you but that's the way it is; and it takes
all of us together, you, me, the common working man and woman to wake up
smell the coffee. Meanwhile I'll let you get back to your coffee. Be of
good cheer, it's going to be a lovely day.
*M:* /I am happy to be of service and I'm sure I'll have lots of
questions later this week. Good bye.///
*P:* God speed dear one.