Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the European Commission's proposed maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements under Directive 2002/46/EC on Northern Ireland.

In Northern Ireland, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) holds policy responsibility relating to food supplements and the addition of vitamins and minerals and certain other substances to foods.

At present there are no maximum levels of vitamins and minerals set in legislation, in either Great Britain or the European Union. The EU is currently working on an initiative that will propose maximum levels for vitamins or minerals that may be added to food supplements and fortified foods, and minimum levels for specific vitamins and minerals when added to food supplements. Any proposals will be consulted upon by the EU, however, the consultation has not yet been published.

The FSA is monitoring the progress of the EU’s planned proposals, including any consultation, and further analysis will be carried out when further information is available. FSA officials will be working with counterparts across the United Kingdom through the Nutrition-related Labelling, Composition and Standards provisional Common Framework policy group to manage any changes relating to this area.