2 Jul 2008 - EUROPEAN NATURAL HEALTH INTERESTS URGE THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION TO RE-THINK ITS POLICY ON NATURAL HEALTH

A delegation from the Irish Association of Health Stores (IAHS), the Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) and Irish member of the European Parliament (MEP), Marian Harkin, met with senior European Commission officials yesterday to voice their concerns over the severity of likely imminent restrictions on natural health.

Jill Bell, chairman of the IAHS said, “Irish consumers’ concerns about the direction the European Union is heading in is being influenced significantly by the impending restrictions on natural health products. We had over 60,000 consumers sign our petition in Irish health stores to register our concerns over EU-wide vitamin and mineral dose restrictions likely hit us in 2009 or 2010. We really hope that the European Commission is going to listen.”

Presenting the key technical concerns to Paola Testori Coggi, Deputy Director General of the Health and Consumer Protection Directorate-General of the European Commission, and Basil Mathioudakis, Head of the Food Law Unit in the Commission, was Dr Robert Verkerk, executive and scientific director of the ANH.

Dr Verkerk stated, after the meeting, “When you consider that the maximum daily vitamin and mineral levels the European Commission are considering for food supplements are much less than you’d find in a single, average meal—you know there’s a problem. You could find three times the possible maximum selenium level in a single brazil nut, or three times the beta-carotene level ins a single large raw carrot or three times the zinc level in a single 200 g steak.”

Dr Verkerk added, “The European Commission needs to re-think it’s approach or small businesses across Europe that will be impacted by the impending measures will inevitably be forced to consider a legal challenge.”

The delegation presented its concerns not only over vitamin and mineral dose restrictions, but also over the proposed ban on vitamin and mineral forms on 1 January 2010, restrictions on herbal preparations and their potential impact on herbal-producing communities in less-developed countries, and the restrictions on health claims, which, the delegation argued amounted to an imposition on free speech.

The delegation indicated that the European Commission, until now, has been taking soundings from a particular sector of the natural products industry that represents larger companies—including the pharmaceutical industry—to the exclusion of the interests of many small to medium size enterprises (SMEs) across Europe.

Dr Verkerk commented that is was heartening to have been heard by the European Commission and the Commission has asked for further interaction over some of the key concerns raised by the delegation. He also indicated that there was a real risk that some natural health products, such as those that have been used traditionally as medicines in non-European cultures, could fall between various stools in EU legislation and could be legislated out of existence simply because the laws were technically impossible or prohibitively expensive to access.

Erica Murray, also representing the IAHS at the meeting in Brussels, said,
“The voice of smaller businesses operating in the natural products industry has not been heard to-date by those drawing up the regulations. Yesterday’s discussions established the possibility of a new dialogue with the Commission and our sector, and we now feel there’s everything to play for. The meeting has demonstrated that the positions adopted by organisations such as the IAHS and the ANH do indeed have validity both in science and in law.”

Marian Harkin, a Member of the European Parliament (North and West European Constituency of Ireland), who led the delegation, added, "While I advocated a Yes vote in the recent Lisbon referendum, I know, from my own experience in the EU and from the concerns expressed by many citizens, that people are very concerned about the fact that a "one size fits all" policy sometimes emerges from the EU. One such issue is that of natural health and it is very important to people who want to be in a position to make their own informed choices rather than having to follow EU dictates. More and more people are choosing to take greater responsibility for their own health and the ability to buy safe and effective natural remedies that they are paying for out of their own pockets is of great importance to them. In my opinion European legislation should above all else respond to the real needs of citizens in each Member State and in the case of the Supplements Directive it should also respond to the best available scientific evidence in order to guarantee the most accurate information for consumers so that they can make informed choices."

9 Jun 2008 - IAHS HEEDS D’ESTAING’S WORDS

The Irish Association of Health Stores has announced its opposition to the Lisbon Treaty. Heeding the words of one of the main architects of the Lisbon Treaty, Giscard d’Estaing, that ‘If people understood it they would vote against it’, the IAHS unanimously agreed to endorse a No vote in Thursday’s referendum, following a meeting of its National Council today.

“While not against the EU in principle, it is patently clear that Europe has not been good for the natural products industry, or for freedom of choice in healthcare,” said Jill Bell, IAHS President. “The Lisbon Treaty seems set to further facilitate erosion of individual rights and choices,” she added.

“All EU regulations which have affected our industry over the past six years have originated with the Commission itself, rather than with our elected political representatives,” said Ms. Bell. “Increasing EU efficiency may mean a more smoothly-run Europe, but at what price? “ she asked.

The introduction of harmonising measures, such as the Food Supplements Directive and the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive, is further evidence that, within the EU, trade regulations are drawn up to favour big business, at the expense of small enterprises. These regulations are so onerous, that for the natural products sector, which is made up almost exclusively of small enterprises, compliance presents an almost impossible task.

Ms. Bell commented, “Efficiency and democracy are unhappy bedfellows.” She continued, “The future viability of health stores is seriously under threat as a direct result of EU regulation which, we are told, is to facilitate the smooth workings of the internal market.” Ms. Bell concluded, “The David and Goliath situation within the EU, where the commercial regulatory environment is biased in favour of large corporations, looks set to continue, and even worsen, under this Treaty.”

20 May 2008 - Save Our Supplements Ireland .com

An independent film producer has released a video about EU regulation of vitamins (Food Supplements Directive), which can be > viewed on YouTube.



The issue highlighted in the video is only the tip of the iceberg for those of us who value freedom of choice in healthcare. There is more draconian regulation to come from the EU - in particular, a directive on herbal products (Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive) and a regulation on nutrition and health claims (NHCR).

28 Apr 2008 - THE TRUTH ABOUT ANTIOXIDANTS

What Doctors Don't Tell You (London publication) provides an amazing bit of news that pulls the rug from under the Cochrane review. > Read how researchers got it wrong!

18 Apr 2008 - RESPONSE TO RECENT MEDIA PUBLICITY CONCERNING ANTIOXIDANTS

Media reports on problems related to the use of antioxidant supplements have arisen from a meta-analysis published originally in the Journal of the American Medical Association last year and republished recently with slight alterations .

Two vital points:

1. The study did NOT report new clinical research data and it therefore carries little scientific weight.

2. Any meta-analysis is only as sound as the studies analysed and any meta-analysis is inevitably biased in its choice of studies. The analysis cited is no exception.


The analysis has been criticised in mainstream medical journals for misrepresenting findings of selected studies and for excluding studies giving a positive results, such as the highly-regarded Stampfer et al, New England Journal of Medicine, citing benefits of vitamin E as preventative. In addition, in most of the trials selected the subjects were already suffering from ill-health, so it is no wonder “cures” or benefits of supplementation were low and that mortality rates appeared high. Nor does the analysis distinguish between the forms of nutrients used (i.e. natural or synthetic vitamins and minerals).

As the > Council for Responsible Nutrition states: “This meta-analysis appears to be a pre-determined conclusion in search of a method to support it.”

Health stores are not in the business of “curing” disease. Curing is the prerogative of professionally qualified practitioners, whether complementary or conventional. The supplements available in IAHS health stores, including antioxidants, are used to support good health and to help prevent degeneration.

Our Association stresses that there is no safety issue with the use of antioxidants. There is overwhelming evidence from highly regarded peer reviewed clinical trials to support their use. Due to the dramatic decrease in levels of nutrients in conventionally farmed crops, the conservative US-based National Cancer Institute advises that men should now consume 9 helpings of fruit and vegetables a day, women 7 helpings and children 5 for their antioxidant effects. In light of the current scare-mongering, perhaps we should now anticipate warnings not to take too many carrots, just a few pumpkin seeds and only half an orange a day!

As Dr. Robert Verkerk, Scientific Director of the Alliance for Natural Health says, “It seems likely that the main objective both of [this] meta-analysis and the resultant articles was to stimulate a turn-around in the increasing numbers of people who are side-stepping pharmaceutical medicine in their quest for health.”

He further adds, “It seems that another important factor has been ignored. And that's the millions of people who have derived benefits from taking supplements, combined with other aspects of a healthy lifestyle. These people will need a little more than a computer-generated, reductionist, flawed analysis of past studies of pharmaceutical forms of vitamins to put them off.”

31 Mar 2008 - Retailers ask suppliers to declare herbals policy

The IAHS has written to manufacturers and distributors about their policy on registering herbal products under the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive (THMPD).

Under the requirements of THMPD most herbal products will have to be licensed by the relevant national body (the Irish Medicines Board in Ireland, the MHRA in Britain).

Currently just a handful of products out of an estimated 500-1,000 affected lines have gained a licence. Retailers fear that unless manufacturers proactively start to engage with registration process hundreds of “bread and butter” products will star to disappear when the THMPD’s transition period ends in April 2011.

We are asking suppliers to indicate which products have been registered with the IBM to date, and which products they expect will be registered by the January 2010 cut off date (only those products for which licences have been applied by 1st January 2010 can remain on the market while the application is being processed).

This information is important for health stores for future planning and in assessing “the long-term viability of our current stock”.

21 Mar 2008 - Important documents posted ::

1. Petition on Food Supplements to be investigated by the European Commission.
[press release by Kathy Sinnott, MEP]

2. Regulatory threats to natural healthcare. [Alliance for Natural Health]

3. Form letter to send to your local TDs, asking to put pressure on the EU to allow us retain freedom of choice in healthcare.

For all above please go to our >documents section.

6 Mar 2008 - Consumer organizations launch campaign demanding right to referendums

Six non-governmental organizations (NGOs), collectively representing consumers from all 27 European Union (EU) countries, today announced the official launch of a campaign for citizens to have the right to vote in referendums whenever significant changes to laws affecting them are made at either national or European level. In particular, they are demanding that all EU citizens should immediately be given the opportunity to vote in referendums on the Lisbon Treaty.

Arguing that the EU is increasingly favouring the interests of big business over those of its own citizens, the six organizations say that unless this situation is reversed and European citizens are given the right to be directly involved in political decision-making, the European political system will rapidly degenerate into a dictatorship where democracy, freedom of choice and the privacy rights of individuals are routinely violated.

Full details can be found at > eu-referendum.org

25 Feb 2008 - The IAHS supports Fairtrade fortnight

Fair trade fortnight starts today until March, 9th.

Check out your local IAHS store for special promotions on selected fairtrade products.
For more information visit > Fairtrade Ireland or go to > Dublin City Fairtrade Initiative.

10 Feb 2008 - IAHS-members scoop prestigious awards

IAHS MEMBERS ACHIEVE INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION…………AGAIN and…AGAIN!

In what can only be described as a Marathon achievement, and for the third year running, 2 more IAHS Diploma candidates have again been awarded honours. Aoife Calnan, Evergreen, Galway, receives the Jimmy Lee Richardson Award, for the highest overall marks [Ireland & UK] and Finn Murray, Hopsack, Dublin, receives the Teddy Marsden Award for exceptional understanding of the principles of holistic health. They received the awards at the annual >Health Food Institute luncheon, in London, on Feb 8th. These awards underline the IAHS commitment to training and demonstrate yet how well our standards measure up in an international context.

Also having honours heaped upon them on Feb 8th are Erica Murray & Jill Bell, who have been made Honorary Fellows of the Institute. It is so good to see those who put so much time and effort into this Association, being acknowledged by their peers.

Many congratulations to all concerned!

8 Feb 2008 - IAHS response to article in "The Irish Times"

Re: Daily vitamin could be bad for your health,
Health Supplement, January 15th, 2008

Dear Sir,

"Vitamins should not be trifled with - they are active biochemicals best eaten in food," to quote Claire O'Connell. Sound information, but why take the extreme example of a skeletal Hilary Swank who, O'Connell says, swallows "up to 48 food supplements a day"?

The rather barbed theme is repeated by quotes from Dr Mary Flynn of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), who states that the FSAI "promotes supplementation where needed", but warns that people taking higher level supplements could be wasting their money or even "dicing with their health".

I would remind Dr Flynn that there is not a single reported case of any serious adverse effect caused by taking food supplements in Ireland. On the contrary, there are thousands of scientific studies showing the benefits of using these supplements. They are even demonstrably safer than the food in the average fridge.

Dr Flynn suggests anyone taking a supplement should ensure it provides the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of nutrients, which, she says, is "the optimal level" and "covers the needs of over 97.5 per cent of the population".

She even predicts harm if these levels are exceeded. As a scientist, Dr Flynn should be well aware that RDA levels were established over 60 years ago as a basic level of nutrition which would enable a young American soldier to stand up and fight. If a person falls short of RDA levels they could, for example, develop deficiency diseases such as scurvy and rickets. RDA levels have very little indeed to do with maintaining good health. Falling short is much more likely to cause harm than exceeding RDA levels, as many recent studies, such as the North/South Ireland Food Consumption Study (2001), have demonstrated.

Dr Flynn was one of the principal authors of the Government's response to the European Commission's paper on the regulation of food supplements under the Food Supplements Directive (FSD). The Irish response suggested that only RDA levels of food supplements be allowed on the open market, which the Commission dismissed as illegal.

What would Dr Flynn have to say to the customer who found the only remedy for her serious pre-menstrual symptoms was 50mg of vitamin B6, without which she would have had to give up work? Dr Flynn and our Government would prefer a maximum of 0.02mg B6 to remain on sale.

There remains, however, the fear that under the FSD, permitted supplements will be so seriously reduced in potency that they will be relatively useless.

The Minister for Health Mary Harney was recently presented with the signatures of more than 60,000 people requiring that currently available levels of food supplements remain on open sale for those who choose to use them. It is small wonder that those signatures represent a tidal wave of cynicism regarding the intention of the EU and our Government to safeguard the rights of their citizens to make choices in many matters, including the means of safeguarding their health.

Jill Bell,
president, Irish Association of Health Stores

1 Feb 2008 - FSAI - Organic Food – Fact or Fiction?

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland’s (FSAI) Consultative Council hosted an open meeting to discuss current attitudes and findings in relation to organic food. Over 100 people attended the ‘Organic Food - Fact or Fiction?’ event in Dublin, where the Food Safety Consultative Council released details of research which highlighted consumer understanding of the perceived benefits of organic food.

Are we missing the point altogether? >read for yourself...

25 Jan 2008 - KELL SAINSBURY 1928 - 2007

Kellwood Russell Sainsbury was a founder fellow of The Institute of Health Food Retailing (now >the Health Food Institute) an organisation formed in 1979 to give professional training to staff working in health stores.

His contribution to the health food industry and particularly the retail stores has been unique. He was the driving force in education for 35 years and many of his students from the past will remember him with affection for his understanding of, and dedication to, our industry.

His knowledge, skill and interest; his concern for the environment; continual learning and approach to natural healing and living are just some of Kell’s attributes. He will, however, be remembered most for his tireless, sincere, optimistic and cheerful approach to life, always full of new ideas, and seeking and finding opportunities to move these forward.

His boundless enthusiasm and good humour were infectious. And those knowing and working closely with him over the years will have fond memories of the joy he gave them. Kell Sainsbury was, through and through, a kind, considerate and gentle man whose passing is a loss to all whose lives he touched.

21 Jan 2008 - Aspartame

IAHS members will eliminate products containing aspartame from their shelves in 2008.

Aspartame is touted as a solution for obesity and dental caries. It is widely available in products labelled 'sugar free'. Developed 25 years ago, it was licensed as a food ingredient by devious means. Consumption of it is on the increase, with 2,000 tons of the stuff currently consumed annually in Europe. As both a neurotoxin and an excitotoxin, it has proven links with a wide range of health problems, including various cancers, infertility, birth defects, grand mal seizures, ADD and ADHD, Parkinsons and Alzheimers, depression, memory loss, vision loss, vertigo and fibromyalgia, to name but a few.

As purveyors of health, it is incumbent on us not to sell a product containing a substance which carries with it the potential for causing serious health problems.

12 Dec 2007 - TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CONSUMERS APPEAL TO MARY HARNEY

Spurious Science Being Used to Regulate Vitamins

The President of the Irish Association of Health Stores (IAHS), Jill Bell, will today present Minister Mary Harney with a petition signed by tens of thousands of Irish consumers of high dose food supplements. The petition appeals to the Irish government and the EU Commission to respect and retain the right of consumers to access higher level vitamin and mineral supplements, which have been available in Ireland and elsewhere for decades. The IAHS is asking for the Minister’s urgent intervention on this matter in Europe, given that the European Commission is in the final stages of developing its proposal on maximum permitted levels of vitamins and minerals in food supplements, which will then be mandated EU-wide.

If the Commission bases its decisions on the recommendations of the Irish authorities, consumers will be denied the right to select levels of nutrients that are well known to promote health.

In its submission to the Commission in November 2006, the Department of Health, on the advice of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), recommended that the maximum permitted levels should be set at no more than the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA), an utterly outdated concept developed in the 1940s that has absolutely no bearing on safety whatsoever.

“In effect, this would mean that Vitamin C would be available over the counter at doses of no more than 60mg”, said Jill Bell, President of the Irish Association IAHS. She added, “It is outrageous that regulators focus on the supposed risks of food supplements, rather than on their very significant benefits, particularly given the nutrient-deficient diets that are so common nowadays.”

Cathy Doyle, a long-time consumer of higher level food supplements commented, “At 58 I enjoy excellent health. I take responsibility for my health and I have had no need for doctors, hospitals or prescription drugs since adopting this regime many years ago. I eat a good diet, pursue a healthy lifestyle and take high dose supplements. However, without these supplements, one leg of this stool is being removed, which will undoubtedly compromise my health status.” She added, “Like tens of thousands of others in this country, I resent the authorities telling me what I can and can’t do to support my own health.”

The Department of Health argued in its submission to the European Commission that setting the maximum levels at no more than RDA levels would “enable protection against unknown effects of excessive consumption of nutrients.” Dr. Robert Verkerk, Scientific Director of the Alliance for Natural Health commented, “This whole process of mandating low levels for supplements is a political decision, not a scientific one. It’s about making a compromise for countries like Germany and Denmark that have long-held a view that doses over the RDA should be regarded as medicinal, because they know that these are the dosages that benefit people’s health. It’s a sad day when the Department of Health in Ireland takes the same position, despite strong objections from Irish consumers and not a grain of evidence that anyone is being harmed by above-RDA supplementation.” He added, “The weaknesses of the science being used to justify these low levels, that are in many cases much lower than those typically found in a healthy meal, have been made clear by us to the European Commission. Should the proposed low levels be implemented in law, there is every likelihood that a legal challenge will be initiated.”

Commenting on the disproportionate nature of the approach being adopted for regulating food supplements, Senator Deirdre de Burca, Health Spokesperson for the Greens, stated, “People should be encouraged to look after their own health, rather than the reverse. What is proposed under this directive will undermine the individual’s right to choose. Over-regulation and inappropriate regulation is obviously not the way forward.” She continued, “Given the extraordinary history of safe usage of these products over the past 40 years, here, in the UK, Holland, Sweden and elsewhere, we need to adopt a rational approach. Regulation should always be proportionate to any risks posed.” She concluded, “It is evident that the methodology being applied to determine maximum permitted levels under this directive is seriously flawed and will result in the unnecessary removal from the marketplace of very many valuable products.”

Adding a further note of dissent, MEP Kathy Sinnott stated, “It is completely unacceptable that Irish and European legislation would deny citizens the right to protect their health with vitamins and minerals at the dose and form that they require, especially when there is no evidence of lack of safety of currently used dosages.”

The impact of the setting of very conservative levels for nutrients will be felt far and wide. Not only will consumers be denied the right to access the traditionally available levels of vitamins and minerals, but the industry sector that specialises in these products will be seriously damaged.

“Health stores have become a valuable community resource in relation to natural healthcare. Their focus is to help people to help themselves in preventing disease and dealing with minor ailments by natural means, very often keeping people away from the doctor’s surgery and out of hospital,” said Jill Bell. She continued, “If the FSAI’s recommendations are implemented across Europe, it will mean the loss of considerable revenue for this sector, with a likely domino effect, as it is estimated that over 50% of health stores could be forced to close, with the possibility of over 1,000 job losses in this country.”

Spokesperson for the Nutritional Therapists of Ireland Grace Kinirons commented, “This directive, which is supposed to be facilitating trade throughout the EU, will have the reverse effect on higher level nutrients. It will lead to the demise of key products and will result in the nutritional therapist’s toolbox being so depleted of tools as to pose a serious threat to the viability of this young and burgeoning profession.”

Jill Bell concluded, “One is hard put to understand the reasoning behind the approach adopted by the Department of Health and the FSAI and it can only be hoped that good sense will prevail. We are specifically asking the Minister to intervene in this matter on behalf of the tens of thousands of Irish consumers who have signed the petition, so that continued access to higher level supplements is ensured for all.”

>Read more

24 Oct 2007 - press release - EU COMMISSION’S PROPOSALS TO LIMIT VITAMIN AND MINERAL DOSES NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE

A group of scientists and doctors, led by Scientific Director of the Alliance for Natural Health (ANH), Dr Robert Verkerk, and ANH’s Medical Director, Dr Damien Downing, is calling for the European Commission to review the methods it is contemplating using to set maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements and fortified foods. The scientists claim that the methods being considered are both “unscientific” and “flawed”.

Today the ANH unveils its position paper which explains its reasons for criticising the Commission’s proposals, which are planned to become law EU-wide within the next two years. Robert Verkerk says, “The Commission claims that its methods are scientific but we have found that they do not stand up to scientific scrutiny”.

Under the Food Supplements Directive and Fortified Foods Regulation, the Commission is required to propose maximum and minimum levels of vitamins and minerals for both food supplements and fortified foods. It is expected that the levels will be finalised in 2009 and early indications are that Member States such as the UK, Netherlands, Sweden and Ireland, that have until now allowed relatively high levels, might have to face big reductions in dosages.

Dr Robert Verkerk added: “You know something is wrong when they are thinking of limiting the dose of beta-carotene to the amount you’d find in just two carrots, and restricting selenium to the amount present in less than two brazil nuts. There seems to have been no attempt to test the models against real data. If the Commission really believed these doses might be the highest safe doses, why aren’t they screaming for warning labels to be put on bags of carrots and brazil nuts?”

Dr Damien Downing, also President of the British Society of Ecological Medicine and Editor of the peer reviewed scientific journal, Journal of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine, added: “The methods are simply not fit for purpose. It is the multiple use of safety or uncertainty factors that further compounds the reduction of levels from so-called Safe Upper Levels, that are often overly cautious to begin with. The resulting maximum levels, should these be implemented in law, would prevent many consumers from ingesting the levels of vitamins and minerals needed for optimal health and would also greatly interfere with consumer choice.”

Jill Bell, President of the Irish Association of Health Stores, stated: “The fact that the setting of maximum dosages for vitamins and minerals is being based on such poor science makes a mockery of the EU’s attempts to regulate this area.”

The ANH is meeting today in Dublin with Green Party Health Spokesperson Senator Deirdre de Burca, as well as with the heads of other key organizations, Nutritional Therapists of Ireland, the Irish Association of Nutritional Therapy, the Irish Association of Health Stores and the Irish Health Trade Association.

The ANH’s position paper includes a consideration of features that would be required for the development of a new, scientifically valid and proportionate risk management model. Verkerk added: “We believe a new model should be developed within an independent, academic setting rather than being subject to the often conflicting pressures of industrial stakeholders and political processes. We are hoping that ANH's concerns about the methodology being used for determining maximum levels will help the European Commission to drastically alter its proposed approach. The Commission's current approach could be disproportionate in its effect and may in turn be subject to legal challenge.”

22 Oct 2007 - The IAHS Supports National Organic Week

NATIONAL Organic Week — which will run from October 22 to 28, be coordinated by Bord Bia, and funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food — aims to raise public awareness of the sector.

The special week will promote seasonal organic produce and highlight the many events taking place countrywide. Food Minister Trevor Sargent said that consumer demand for certified organic produce was growing and developing the sector was a priority for the Government. "Given that up to 70% of organic food consumed in Ireland is imported, a real opportunity exists for conventional producers to convert to organic," he said.

>Click here for more details

13 Oct 2007 - ANDREW CAPE

On September 29th Andrew Cape of Glenties, Co. Donegal, died. It is hard to accept that this vibrant, tireless worker for the cause of natural healthcare and healthy eating is gone, but his memory and example will never be lost to us.
Andrew was born in the south of England, gained a double first from Oxford, and with a strong social conscience went to work in Tanzania for VSO where he met his Dublin-born wife Clodagh.

When Clodagh was appointed to a teaching position in Co. Donegal, Andrew followed her, and in this wonderful location they brought up their four children. He set up Simple Simon, a bakery, café and health store majoring in fairly-traded products in Donegal Town, with offshoots in Letterkenny and Glenties, which he ran till shortly before his death.

Not content with merely earning a crust, Andrew poured himself into community activities and also his trade association which he chaired for several years. The Irish Association of Health Stores gained an extraordinary colleague, dedicated, clear-sighted, incisive, ethical to his fingertips, with the ability of forming personal and professional relationships which are, to a large extent, what has driven the annual Dublin show from success to success.

Tributes from UK colleagues bear witness to the respect and admiration which Andrew’s vigour and integrity generated across all borders.

14 Sep 2007 - PUBLIC VIEW FOOD SUPPLEMENTS DIRECTIVE AS REASON TO VOTE ‘NO’ IN REFERENDUM ON EU TREATY

At a public meeting about the Food Supplements Directive held in Dublin on Wednesday and attended by over 100 people, serious concern was expressed regarding the control being exerted over the lives of Irish citizens by the EU. Politicians, consumers and nutritional therapists were among those attending.

MEP Kathy Sinnott, who addressed the meeting, commented that the EU “is about economics” and stated that experts attached to EU working groups are frequently sourced from industry, resulting in victory for vested interests.

Citing her own personal experience of restoring the health of her son, Jamie, by the use of supplements, Ms Sinnott expressed the view that the impact of the Food Supplements Directive could lead to a monopoly by the pharmaceutical industry. She commented, “Commissioner David Byrne, whose ‘baby’ the FSD was, pushed ahead with this directive at a time when government policy was to entice the burgeoning pharmaceutical industry into Ireland, since both agriculture and tourism were on the wane.”

Elaborating on the need for supplementation of high levels of many nutrients nowadays, President of the Irish Association of Nutritional Therapists Anne Darcy explained that depleted nutrient levels in the soil have resulted in our food being seriously compromised nutritionally.

While it is common veterinary practice to supplement the diets of livestock with nutrients such as selenium and cobalt, Ms Darcy commented: “It is quite shocking that humans are going to be denied access to the levels of nutrients necessary to compensate for the nutritional inadequacy in common foodstuffs under this directive.” She added “There has to be something wrong with a system that acknowledges the problem of nutritional deficit in our foods and on the one hand endorses supplementation for animals, while on the other hand bans citizens from being able to meaningfully supplement their own diets.”

Commenting on our over-burdened health service, Ms Darcy said: "If we were a nation of physically and mentally healthy people, with empty doctors’ surgeries and hospitals, then there would be no need to have health food stores where people come searching for the way to return normal function in their lives.”

A consumer campaign is currently being run throughout the country, petitioning both the Irish government and the European Commission to ensure continued access to the higher level supplements that have been available for 40 years in this country, without any record of serious side effects. Over the past six weeks, more than 100,000 people have signed the petition.

Jill Bell, President of the Irish Association of Health Stores summed up the feelings of those present at the meeting: “Outrage about the Food Supplements Directive has reached such a pitch now that it looks likely that the 2.5% of the population who have signed the petition will be unwilling to give a ‘yes’ vote in the referendum to be run on the EU Treaty.” She added “The Food Supplements Directive seems to have stirred a hornet’s nest in relation to people’s feelings about the EU. People are becoming angry about the degree to which Brussels is interfering with our basic freedoms.”

8 Sep 2007 - RUDE HEALTH EXHIBITION INCREASES PUBLIC ANGER AT EU PLANS TO REDUCE FOOD SUPPLEMENTS STRENGTH

The Rude Health natural health exhibition at the RDS has significantly boosted the Irish Association of Health Stores' consumer campaign against EU moves to drastically reduce the strength of food supplements.

“Attendance at the two day exhibition in Dublin last weekend (September 1st and 2nd) was up 50% on last year's show and exhibitor stands collected hundreds of signatures from consumers protesting about the anticipated setting of very restrictive levels of vitamins and minerals under the EU Food Supplements Directive”, said Jill Bell, President of the IAHS.

She added, “It is known that over 45% of the Irish population use food supplements on a regular basis to support and maintain their health. The IAHS is concerned that a sizeable proportion of these consumers are not aware of this regulation which could see the demise of virtually all useful food supplements over the next two years.
“It looks very likely that consumers will be denied the right to purchase a simple 1,000mg of vitamin C to guard against the common cold.”

The Rude Health exhibition's expert speaker list included nutritionist Patrick Holford, naturopath Jan de Vries, leading UK nutritionist and author of 'Natural Alternatives to HRT' Dr. Marilyn Glenville, leading UK scientist Prof. Jane Plant CBE, 'The Juicemaster' Jason Vale and cancer survivor Bernadette Bohan.

One of the world's leading experts on children's learning development and author of the famous Durham trial, Dr. Alex Richardson, as well as RTÉ presenters and natural health specialists Dr Mark Hamilton (How Long Will You Live?), Clodagh McKenna (Fresh from the Farmers' Markets) and Karen Ward (Health Squad) completed an impressive line up which attracted a younger profile than previous shows, highlighting people's increasing interest in natural health, according to Ms. Bell.

“The very fact that attendance at the Rude Health exhibition was up by 50% on both Saturday and Sunday despite competing attractions such as Electric Picnic and the All Ireland Hurling Final demonstrates how strongly people feel about taking control of their own health”, commented Ms. Bell, adding ,“In view of our creaking health service, it seems utter madness to deny people the right to do their utmost to stay well and to avoid dependence on the medical system, but in reality the Food Supplements Directive is going to ensure just that.”

“Ireland, along with the UK, has a tradition of higher level supplement usage, extending back more than 40 years. Not a single case of any serious side effects has been recorded in that time, so any suggestion that this regulation is about consumer safety is a complete red herring,” stated Ms. Bell.

Prof. Jane Plant, Professor of Geochemistry at Imperial College London and author of 'Your Life in Your Hands' commented, “As both a cancer survivor and scientist , I always advise people to take control of their own health. One of my recommendations is to take a selenium supplement, because the surface environment of Europe is often naturally low in essential trace elements such as selenium - and levels have been further depleted in our diet by intensive chemical agriculture and food processing. Selenium deficiency has been shown to be associated with increased risk of cancer and heart disease.”

Consumers who rely on higher level supplements to keep themselves and their families well and those who object to the EU denying them the right to choose from safe options, are being advised to sign the petition in health stores throughout the country. “We are well on the way to collecting 100,000 signatures after only one month of campaigning,” commented Ms. Bell.

*A public meeting is to be held about this issue on Wednesday 12th September in the Mont Clare Hotel, Dublin at 7 pm. Organised by the Nutritional Therapists of Ireland, it will be addressed by MEP Kathy Sinnott, as well as by a consumer, a retailer and a nutritional therapist.

20 Jul 2007 - press release - CONSUMER'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE VITAMINS TO BE VIOLATED BY EU?

EU SET TO SLASH EXISTING LEVELS OF VITAMINS & MINERALS

Today the Irish Association of Health Stores (IAHS) announces the launch of a major consumer campaign to counter moves within the EU which would radically reduce the strength of all vitamin and mineral products (food supplements). These have been available in Ireland and the UK for decades without any serious side effects. The Association is urging consumers of these higher level food supplements to let their voices be heard.

“If, as we suspect, the EU authorities are contemplating the reduction of permitted levels to pathetically low RDA levels, people who depend on higher levels to optimise their health will be denied this right,” said Jill Bell, President of the Irish Association of Health Stores. She added: “In view of our creaking health service, it seems utter madness to deny people the right to do their utmost to stay well and to avoid dependence on the medical system, but in reality this Directive is going to ensure just that.”

Under the Food Supplements Directive, the European Food Safety Authority is to set maximum permitted levels for every vitamin and mineral by the end of this year. It is of concern to the Irish Association of Health Stores that our own Department of Health has recommended to the EU Commission that only RDA levels (Recommended Dietary Allowance) be sanctioned. RDAs are simply the minimum level of a nutrient required to prevent a deficiency disease such as scurvy and have nothing to do with ensuring optimum health.

“Ireland, along with the UK, has a tradition of higher level supplement usage, extending back more than 40 years. Not a single case of any serious side-effects has been recorded in that time”, said Jill Bell of the IAHS. “Our Association would endorse regulation which is appropriate. However, the EU regulation that is in the pipeline in relation to food supplements is totally inappropriate with, in effect, a sledgehammer being used to crack a nut,” she said, adding “It looks very likely that consumers will be denied the right to purchase a simple 1,000mg of vitamin C to guard against the common cold.”

It is known that over 45% of the Irish population use food supplements on a regular basis to support and maintain their health. “The IAHS is concerned that a sizeable proportion of these consumers are not aware of this regulation which could see the demise of virtually all useful food supplements over the next two years”, said Jill Bell.

Consumers who rely on higher level supplements to keep them well and those who object to the EU denying them the right to choose from safe options, are being advised to sign the petition in health stores throughout the country or > to join our on-line petition.

29 Jun 2007 - Further Positive Results for Echinacea

The Lancet Infectious Diseases has published research concluding that Echinacea can more than halve the risk of catching a common cold. This is the conclusion drawn by researchers from the School of Pharmacy at the University of Connecticut, who looked at 14 different studies on Echinacea. Overall, Echinacea was shown to decrease the odds of developing a cold by 58% and reduce the duration of colds by a day-and-a-half in people who were infected.

Echinacea reduced the likelihood of participants catching a cold naturally (i.e. in normal circumstances such as working with someone who has a cold) by 65%. Professor Ron Cutler of the University of London said that Echinacea, "decreases the severity of cough, headache and nasal congestion," if people have already caught a cold. He gave it as his opinion that, "people with impaired immune function might benefit from taking Echinacea during the winter months to prevent colds and flu."

There have, however, been several positive trials on Echinacea in the last few years, including a trial that demonstrated the efficiency of Echinacea in the treatment of colds and flu, when it is used as soon as a cold starts. At 7 days, 95% of the subjects using Echinacea were free of symptoms compared with only 63% in the placebo group.

To avoid the misery of summer colds go to your IAHS store and ask for the power of nature.

15 Jun 2007 - IRELAND AIMS TO BECOME A GMO-FREE ZONE

New coalition government adopts all-island GM-free policy
Farming groups agree to explore phasing out GM animal feed

Following Wednesday night’s Green Party historic agreement to form a coalition government with Fianna Fáil, the two parties revealed their agreed policy “to negotiate for the whole island of Ireland to become a GMO-free zone.”

The announcement was received with jubilation by farmers and food producers on both sides of the border who have spent the last nine years campaigning to achieve this goal.

Following the announcement last night, Green Party leader Trevor Sargent, TD, confirmed his pre-election pledge to resign his leadership position if his party entered into government with Fianna Fáil, adding that he would now work very hard within the new Government “to get Green Party policies implemented whatever way I can”.

“The establishment of Ireland as a GMO-free zone is a project that I will throw myself into in a very enthusiastic fashion, because we don’t have much time to rescue that status for this country, and it’s one that is so vital to us as a food-producing island which is operating in markets that are overwhelmingly looking for GM-free food, and if we lose that status, that’s it, we cannot go back.”

The Green Party is an all-island party, working on both sides of the border. The Green Party will get two Cabinet Minister positions in the new Government.

In a related move last weekend, the GM-free Ireland Network brought the main farmers organisations on both sides of the border together with Brazil’s largest exporter of certified non-GMO soya beans, for exploratory discussions to phase out the use of GM animal feed in Irish farming. Participants included high level representatives of the Irish Farmers Association, the Irish Creamery and Milk Suppliers Association, the Irish Cattle and Sheepfarmers Association, and the Northern Ireland branch of the UK National Beef Association.

GM-free Ireland Network spokesperson Michael O’Callaghan congratulated the new government for adopting the GM-free island policy, and invited Trevor Sargent to address a briefing on Food Safety and GMOs which GM-free Ireland will co-host with the EU Parliament Independence/Democracy Group at the European Parliament Office in Dublin at noon today.

8 Jun 2007 - World Ocean Day

Today is World Ocean Day - a day to set aside to do something amazing for our seas, shores and wildlife. The world’s oceans generate most of the oxygen we breathe, help feed us, regulate our climate, clean the water we drink, offer us a pharmacopoeia of potential medicines and provide limitless inspiration...

Having said all that, we really do not treat our oceans with the respect they deserve. World Ocean Day is an opportunity each year to celebrate our world’s oceans and our personal connection to the sea.

21 May 2007 - Come and meet Jan de Vries at your IAHS member store

Next week the renowned naturopath and author Jan de Vries is visiting Munster. He will speak in the Celtic Ross hotel, Roscarbery, Co.Cork on the evening of Mon May 28, and over 3 days will be in attendance for consultation at a number of shops including:

• Remedies in Dungarvan and Well and Good in Midleton on May 28
• Quay Coop in Cork, An Tobairin in Bandon and Organico in Bantry on May 29.
• Here's Health in Cork and The Granary in Mallow on May 30.

10 May 2007 - Manuka honey expert Prof. Peter Molan MBE is visiting Ireland

Comvita Honey Products and Natural Medicine Company are sponsering the visit of Dr. Peter Molan MBE (the worlds leading honey researcher) to Dublin for a one day only press visit to help highlight the benefits and application of Manuka Honey.

As part of the visit Dr Molan will do several paper press interviews and will appear on:
- Thursdays "The Afternoon Show" on RTE 1 TV and
- Fridays "Mooney goes Wild Show" on RTE Radio 1

Dr Molan will have Comvita Manuka Honey products with him in studio and will talk about Manuka Honey for internal use and also Manuka care - the manuka honey for external application.

Visit your local IAHS store and get a jar... see the benefits for yourself.

20 Apr 2007 - Maximum Permitted Limits [MPL] of Food Supplements Directive

The European Union is about to set the maximum dose levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements. Depending on the dose levels it sets, consumers across Europe could lose access to safe and beneficial, higher potency products that they currently use - or the exact opposite could happen.
To help you to voice your concern "Consumers for health choice" have designed
>> a tool-kit to save our supplements.

23 Mar 2007 - Response to recent media publicity concerning antioxidants

Recent media reports on problems related to the use of antioxidant supplements arose from a meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association last month.

Two vital points:
1. The study did NOT report new clinical research data and it therefore carries little scientific weight.
2. Any meta-analysis is only as sound as the studies analysed and any meta-analysis is inevitably biased in its choice of studies. The analysis cited is no exception.

It is criticised for misrepresenting findings of selected studies and for excluding studies giving a positive results, such as the highly-regarded Stampfer et al, New England Journal of Medicine, citing benefits of vitamin E as preventative. In addition, in most of the trials selected the subjects were already suffering from ill-health, so it is no wonder "cures" or benefits of supplementation were low and that mortality rates appeared high. Nor does the analysis distinguish between the forms of nutrients used (i.e. natural or synthetic vitamins and minerals).

As >the Council for Responsible Nutrition states: "This meta-analysis appears to be a pre-determined conclusion in search of a method to support it."

Health stores are not in the business of "curing" disease. Curing is the prerogative of professionally qualified practitioners, be they complementary or conventional. The supplements available in IAHS health stores, including antioxidants, are used to support good health and to help prevent degeneration.

Our Association stresses that there is no safety issue with the use of antioxidants and that there is overwhelming evidence to support their use, in addition to a good diet containing at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, and combined with a healthy lifestyle.

As Dr. Robert Verkerk, Scientific Director of the Alliance for Natural Health says, "It seems likely that the main objective both of [this] meta-analysis and the resultant articles was to stimulate a turn-around in the increasing numbers of people who are side-stepping pharmaceutical medicine in their quest for health."

He further adds, "It seems that another important factor has been ignored. And that's the millions of people who have derived benefits from taking supplements, combined with other aspects of a healthy lifestyle. These people will need a little more than a computer-generated, reductionist, flawed analysis of past studies of pharmaceutical forms of vitamins to put them off."