COMMUNIQUÉ DE PRESSE
Pour publication immédiate
3 September 2024

PROPOSED BELGIUM FOOD SUPPLEMENT LAW
“LIKELY VIOLATES EU LAW”, SAYS ANH

Yesterday, the Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) Europe responded to a consultation by the European Commission and informed the European institution that a proposed Belgian law on food supplements would likely be in violation of EU law if it was implemented. This is because it would impose an unnecessary barrier to trade within the single EU market and breach the principle of EU member state mutual recognition that allows products legally marketed in one member state to be marketed in another, assuming no overt safety concerns.  

The proposed amendment to two Belgian 2021 Royal Decrees relating to the manufacture, marketing and sale of food supplements effectively attempts to change the existing pre-market notification system to an onerous authorization system, a requirement that goes beyond the scope of the guiding framework EU directive on food supplements.^[1] 

Le Dr Rob Verkerk, directeur exécutif et scientifique d'ANH, a déclaré : "...Nous pensons que l'amendement proposé par la Belgique fait partie d'un effort concerté de certains États membres européens et de la Commission européenne pour resserrer l'étau réglementaire autour des compléments alimentaires, dans le but de les traiter davantage comme des médicaments, ce qui rendrait encore plus difficile pour les petites entreprises de les mettre sur le marché.."

"Notre analyse montre que l'amendement, s'il est adopté, aura un effet dévastateur sur de nombreuses petites entreprises belges et néerlandaises de compléments alimentaires.Marga Verspagen, juriste et administratrice interne d'ANH Europe, s'est exprimée à ce sujet. Et de poursuivre : "En outre, nous pensons qu'il s'agirait probablement d'une violation du traité de Lisbonne sur le fonctionnement de l'UE (TFUE) et du règlement sur la reconnaissance mutuelle (règlement 2019/515)."  

If the Draft amendment is adopted, the Belgian authorities will be able to prevent companies placing food supplement products on the market. This refusal would interfere with article 10 of the European Directive 2002/46/EC which only allows for a notification system. Notification specifically does not involve assessment of a detailed dossier as it is not a product authorization or registration process. Supplements that meet the European definition, being “concentrated sources of nutrients”, can certainly be regulated after being placed on the market, and can be the object of different measures if the competent bodies find infractions to relevant national or EU legislation. However, authorities cannot prevent products selling legally in other member states préalable à leur mise sur le marché belge.

The Draft amendment will make it very easy for Belgium to refuse notifications and fail to grant notification numbers based on inadequate data, reinforcing a longstanding practice of the Belgian authorities that has recently been condemned by the Brussels Council of State.^[2]

L'amendement belge tente également d'élargir la définition d'un complément alimentaire en supprimant le terme "concentré" de la définition. Cela pourrait avoir pour effet de faire passer des produits qui étaient auparavant considérés comme des denrées alimentaires dans la catégorie des compléments alimentaires et de les rendre invendables en raison de l'obstacle difficile que représente l'obtention d'un numéro de notification.

L'ANH a demandé à la Commission européenne d'émettre un avis sur la nature et l'impact de la proposition de loi belge, tout en soulignant les clauses particulièrement problématiques.

ANH is concerned that this proposal is part of a wider plan by some member states and the European Commission to set up a mandatory notification procedure for all European countries as recommended by the European Economic and Social Committee in its report: ‘How to implement harmonisation of market entry for food supplements in the EU: Solutions and best practice.’[3]

FINS.

CONTACT

Netherlands and Belgium: Please contact Marga Verspagen, +31 (0)6 24 19 60 79,  administration@anheurope.org

Rest of the world: please contact Melissa Smith, +44 (0)1483 362 200, info@anhinternational.org

ANH SUBMISSION TO EUROPEAN COMMISSION ON TRIS NOTIFICATION

Download ANH’s consultation response ici.

ABOUT THE ALLIANCE FOR NATURAL HEALTH
www.anheurope.org  
www.anhinternational.org 

Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) Europe is the European, Netherlands-based, non-profit office linked to the ANH International.

ANH International is an independent, non-profit organisation founded in 2002 in the UK by acclaimed sustainability scientist, Robert Verkerk PhD. Its mission is to promote and protect natural, sustainable and regenerative approaches to health optimisation worldwide, through the application of good science and good law.

We work to help health systems to transition from their current pre-occupation with the management of ‘downstream’ diseases to ‘upstream’ approaches that maintain and

regenerate health. ANH International advocates for properly informed consent, the right for citizen choice in healthcare and the right to practise a diverse range of modalities incorporating natural health. It supports individual empowerment, medical autonomy, the rule of law, and respect for, and the protection of, the natural environment.

We seek to increase the adoption of clinically validated, natural and sustainable approaches, taking into account cultural and individual needs and choices. The threat of legal and scientific uncertainty, as well as regulatory and corporate pressure, continues to limit freedom of choice in the field of natural health.

As an international alliance, we collaborate with a diverse cross-section of natural and environmental interests around the world, including scientists, lawyers, medical doctors, other health professionals, politicians, companies and, above all, the public.