News

26th April 2005

Threat to vitamins and minerals lifted

John Bowis MEP secures changes to save tonic wine.

Conservatives have succeeded in stopping a proposed ban on adding vitamins and minerals to certain foods, and lifted the threat to tonic wine, John Bowis MEP, Conservative health spokesman in the European Parliament, announced today.

The environment and health committee today considered the proposed Regulation on Fortified Food which sets out a common approach for the addition of vitamins and minerals and other substances to foods. Conservatives and their centre-right counterparts on the committee voted down Labour MEPs’ amendments to introduce “nutrient profiles”, which would ban fortification of foods considered unhealthy because of their sugar, salt or fat content.

The system of nutrient profiling would have put an end to the UK’s existing regime, which is based on safety and encourages the intake of vitamins and minerals to the benefit of public health. For example, fortified breakfast cereals are the single largest source of iron in young people’s diets and provide B vitamins.

Mr Bowis said:  "The legislation should be based on controls sufficient to protect consumers and allow consumer choice over a wide range of fortified foods which in many cases make a positive contribution to public health. Labour MEPs once again failed to heed their own government’s line and voted for restrictions and bureaucracy not justified on any public health grounds”.

Buckfast Tonic Wine, a drink produced for centuries by monks in Devon, was under threat as the proposal would ban any fortification of alcoholic drinks.  Amendments by John Bowis have lifted this threat by providing an exemption for tonic wine. Mr Bowis said:  “I am delighted for the Buckfast Abbey monks!  We have voted to ensure their traditional product should not be threatened by a ban. I hope that a solution will now be negotiated as the proposal continues through the legislative process”.