Botanicals

Could the proposed European Commission’s ban on Aloe Vera potentially impact our wider freedom of choice within the UK?

After the long drawn our process of Brexit, no matter what side of the debate we found ourselves on one of the upsides that was touted around was a reduction in red tape enabling UK companies’ wider scope to compete with the vast array of non-compliant imported products flooding the UK market on a daily basis.

Its concerning to note that during the Brexit negotiations there seemed to be a real lack of originality from the UK regulators who seem to have simply adopted EU regulations for food supplements. These adoptions can easily be demonstrated as being inappropriate to UK law. Most have been written in Napoleonic law which states you can’t do anything unless you have been told you can, rather than in UK feudal law where you can do anything unless you are told you can’t.  The result is a huge reduction in our freedom of choice.

As the UK policy seems to be a simple updating of the EU regulations as we move beyond Brexit, this now leaves the UK in a concerning position. The EU now seems increasingly committed to the indiscriminate removal of our naturopathic product choices at a time when we have never needed access to such products more.  If this process is allowed to continue unchallenged, we may well see industry regulators meddle with our basic human rights to access natural health products.  A proposed ban by the European Commission on Aloe based products certainly falls into this category and is potentially the start of a large-scale removal of plant-based food supplements.

This suggested move by Member States of the European Commission would see the use of extracts that contain hydroxyanthracene (such as Aloe Vera and Aloe-emodin) in products banned. Although the European Commission states this is over safety issues for intestinal dysfunction, the EHPM group acting for natural products has registered their concern.

What is the EHPM’s response to EC plans?

Standing for the European Federation of Associations of Health Product Manufacturers, the EHPM has launched a petition to curb these latest EC plans. They believe that any suggested ban on Aloe would signal a very dangerous precedent for natural products. Of course, it would be a disaster for the many European firms who sell natural products with Aloe in and their staff. It would also be disastrous for the many people who use these products daily and for the basic human rights of people to choose which products they want to use.

The EHPM’s petition sets out to defend the use of Aloe Vera in food supplements and also the use of other plants in supplements. If this challenge against the EC’s proposed ban is successful, it will be a victory for human rights and the right for people to access alternative medicinal solutions freely.

What danger could any ban on Aloe bring?

Although the European Commission only has Aloe in its sights today, the EHPM fear that this is only the start. If the ban goes ahead, they believe that the Commission will look at other types of natural extract. This could be anything from senna to rhubarb and cascara. It is not hard to imagine that any alternative, natural extract which could help improve intestinal function could then be in the firing line. This could see access to products containing these ingredients disappear in Europe and the right of choice for people around alternative medicines negatively impacted.

What will the EHPM do next?

As well as the aforementioned petition, this industry group for natural products is pushing for scientists to have extra time to assess the safety of plants like Aloe. It is also calling for producers to get more time so they can clearly show the safety of their products. This extra time would also allow the European Food Safety Authority to research recent scientific data in respected publications.

What is the background to these latest EC plans?

Much of the current hysteria and confusion around Aloe in EC circles stems from earlier opinions expressed by the European Food Safety Authority. This seemed to suggest that extracts with hydroxyanthracene derivatives came with safety concerns. This of course has to be considered in the context of the EFSA themselves admitting that not enough data was present to make an accurate analysis!

As they could not give accurate advice on the level of hydroxyanthracene derivatives it was safe to consume per day, the EC decided to act with extreme caution. There has also been a suggestion that HAD’s be removed from Aloe products but this seemed non-sensical. As some critics pointed out, this would also remove most of the intestinal benefits these extracts offered too!

EC’s decision could be blow for human rights and free choice

While the ban on Aloe in products is not a done deal as yet, many fear it could be signed off soon. This would see an entire range of alternative supplements beneficial for bowel function removed from the shelf. The net result would not only see people’s basic right to choice suffer but also see alternative medicinal solutions in this area disappear.

In the face of new studies which have backed the safety of Aloe and other plants of this type in natural products, the EC’s stance appears farcical. The EHPM has also claimed that the EFSA had been refused time to review these new studies by the European Commission! It seems now that people around the world who value alternative medicine and free choice can only wait to see if the EHPM’s petition works – or the European Parliament sees sense and refuses to back the Commissions plans.

After Brexit, it is all too easy to wonder what does all this have to do with us, after all we have left Europe did we not?  Well yes and no, we may have completed the Brexit process but from what we are observing The Food Standards Agency (FSA) have adopted the European regulations into their regulatory policies with the suggestion that we will now simply continue to follow the European regulations on Food supplements. A ban in Europe will more than likely result in an immediate ban for Aloe vera and open the door to a raft of other products being removed from sale in the UK.

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