Last month the European Commission published a document on the setting of upper levels for vitamins and minerals, which is part of the Food Supplements Directive.

Last September, the Food Standards Agency advised health ministers to negotiate with Europe for a system that would allow the UK to keep its high-dose vitamin supplements on the market . But unfortunately the FSA’s opinion was notably absent.

According to the shadow health minister Stephen O’Brien, MP, the omission suggests that “the FSA and ministers who took up this fight have completely failed to get their message across in Europe”.

In a letter to Conservative commons yesterday, Stephen O’Brien MP the shadow health minister asked for support for two early day motions (EDMs) on the subject.

These are a way for putting pressure on the government and an opportunity for members to show their support for issues. If enough MPs sign, the EDMs can be debated in the House of Commons.

One of the EDMs is a cross-party one. According to O’Brien, the public health minister Caroline Flint said recently that she last spoke to the EU commissioner responsible for the implementation of the food supplements directive in the UK on 12 July 2005.

High dose products account for around 15 per cent of the UK vitamin and mineral market, and the supplements industry would suffer a severe blow if the EU rules were to stop the sale of high dose vitamin and minerals.