system: You are George Lagergren, a caller on a 1990s BBS posting in the Altern. Medicine message echo. Write like a real BBS user of the era — plain, direct, in your own voice, no modern polish.

user: You are replying to All about "Codex Highlights".

They wrote:
-=> Quoting Pilothigh to  <=-
Pi> The future availability and legal status of herbs, vitamins,
Pi> amino acids, minerals and all other supplements in the U.S.
Pi> and throughout the world, may be determined by a committee
Pi> made up of 146 nations called the Codex Alimentarius
Pi> Commission, which operates in conjunction with the United
Pi> Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Pi> Established in 1962 for the purpose of setting international
Pi> standards and codes for foods, the Codex Commission is over-
Pi> whelmingly composed of German and International
Pi> Pharmaceutical Corporations. Over 90% of the international
Pi> organizations ALLOWED to send delegates to the meetings
Pi> represent giant multinational pharmaceutical corporations.
Pi> The only consumer organization is the International
Pi> Organization of Consumer Unions.
Pi> In October, 1996, Codex met in Bonn, Germany to make radical
Pi> changes in the rules governing dietary supplements for
Pi> member nations. The proposals of greatest concern were those
Pi> made by the German delegation (see the proposed Draft
Pi> Guidelines for Dietary Supplements) and is being sponsored
Pi> by Hoechst, Bayer and BASF. These are the three drug
Pi> companies formed when the Nuremberg War Trials disbanded IG
Pi> Farben, manufacturer of the poison gas used in Nazi
Pi> concentration camps. This is not the first time that the UN
Pi> has been linked closely with Nazi war criminals. Ostensibly,
Pi> their purpose is " . . .to create a set of international
Pi> standards to guide the world's growing food industry and to
Pi> protect the health of consumers.
Pi> The pharmaceutical company backed proposals call for the
Pi> following:
Pi> 1. No vitamin, mineral, herb, etc., can be sold for
Pi> prophylactic (preventative) or therapeutic reasons.
Pi> 2. Natural remedies can be sold as food but they must not
Pi> exceed the potency (dosage) levels set by the commission.
Pi> This means that consumer access to dietary supplements will
Pi> be limited to the RDA dosage as a maximum limit for vitamins
Pi> (Vitamin C - 60 mg. Vitamin E - 15 mg., etc.) Supplements
Pi> without an RDA (e.g. coenzyme Q10) would be illegal to sell
Pi> because they would all become drugs.
Pi> 3. Codex regulations for dietary supplements would become
Pi> binding, eliminating the escape clause within the General
Pi> Agreement of Tariffs and Trade (GATT) that allows a nation
Pi> to set its own standards. This applies to all member
Pi> countries of the UN. Any nation that does not accept these
Pi> new standards will be heavily fined by the World Trade
Pi> Organization (WTO) creating the potential for crippling
Pi> entire sectors of that nation's economy.
Pi> 4. All new supplements would be banned unless they go
Pi> through the Codex approval process. Five steps have already
Pi> been taken in the Codex process over the past few years.
Pi> Remember Canadian Bill C-7 which was passed eventually in
Pi> Canada as C-8? The similarity of the process, the secrecy,
Pi> and the wording between the Codex proposals and the Canadian
Pi> laws is uncanny. Voting in favor of adopting the German
Pi> proposals has been overwhelming (16 for 2 against in the
Pi> most recent vote). The Codex process is now at Step Five -
Pi> formalization and debate concerning the specific features.
Pi> In two years, Codex could jump from Step 5 to Step 8 to
Pi> finalize these restrictions.
Pi> it would never pass through congress. However, by taking the
Pi> stance that they have, the FDA WILL ACCOMPLISH ITS GOALS BY
Pi> LETTING CODEX DO ITS UNACCEPTABLE DIRTY WORK. The
Pi> pharmaceutical companies are planning a global takeover of
Pi> the vitamin-herb industry and within a few short years, they
Pi> will have succeeded by pushing competitors out of the field.
Pi> They are planning to do it very quietly and carefully
Pi> through GATT and the Codex Commission. They will succeed if
Pi> they are not exposed and their plan is not given national
Pi> headlines.
Pi> This is the last wake-up call that may be given before it is
Pi> too late. It is of the utmost importance that everyone
Pi> become aware and voice their displeasure with the leaders of
Pi> their respective governmental agencies. In the U.S., it is
Pi> imperative that everyone call and write to their local
Pi> congressmen. Phone the White House. Call the FDA. Tell
Pi> everyone you know to do the same. Call your local newspaper
Pi> and alert them to what is really going on here. If we don't
Pi> take action now, our freedom to choose will be taken away
Pi> without most of us even being aware that it had happened!
Pi> President Bill Clinton,
Pi> The White House, Washington, DC 20500
Pi> Phone: 202-205-5372 Fax: 202-260-8957
Pi> E-mail: president@Whitehouse.gov
Pi> Dr. Elizabeth Yetley, Director
Pi> Office of SpecialNutritionals, HFS-45
Pi> US Food and Drug Administration
Pi> 200 C Street S.W. Washington, DC 20204, USA
Pi> 202-205-4168 FAX: 202-205-5295
Pi> E-mail: eyetley@bangate.fda.gov
Pi> * * * * * * * * * * About the author * * * * * * * * * * *
Pi> Jackie Buchanan has 26 years experience in the medical and
Pi> textbook publishing field. She may be reached at Buchanan
Pi> Publishing, P.O. Box 732 Collinsville, Illinois 62234 Email
Pi> address: gypsy@MO.NET
Pi> * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Write your reply.

assistant: * Crossposted from: AHEALTH
Message about CODEX treaty on supplements (shortened version)
      Cross-posted from the Internet USENET news group:  alt.health
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