EU threatens to ban vitamin supplements

Some of the most popular vitamin and mineral pills are likely to be banned after a vote in the European Parliament this week.

The vote, on Tuesday, is expected to put the finishing touches to a new EU law designed to crack down on the sale of the pills. Critics say that the law – which has already been approved by EC governments, including Britain, and the European Commission – will plunge countless people into distress, and put hundreds of health food shops out of business.

The law – which opponents believe is being pushed through at the behest of multinational drug companies wanting to stamp on competition from alternative products – is being promoted by the commission as a safety measure. But the commission itself admits that "scientific research has recently established real or potential benefits to health" that could result from some of them.

The directive would give pill manufacturers three years to submit comprehensive safety data on their ingredients. These would then have to be accepted by an expert committee before they were allowed to be sold. Those that did not go through this process would be banned. The directive exempts 13 vitamins, 15 basic minerals and some of the forms in which they are used. But critics say that its provisions will catch some 300 products which they say have a range of benefits from relieving pain to protecting against cancer.

The manufacturers say that some pills have 70 ingredients, each of which could cost up to £250,000 to test – an expense which small companies "will simply not be able to afford". They add that some of the tests would have to be done on animals, a practice many of the companies – and their customers – reject.

Dr Robert Verkerk, a consultant with Imperial College, London and spokesman for the Free Choice for Supplements Alliance, said: "The directive would massively reduce the freedom of consumers to make their own informed choices."

Opponents of the directive are angry that the products are being treated as guilty until proven innocent, while the opposite applies to known toxins such as pesticides. Liberal MEP Chris Davies, one of a minority of politicians who have opposed the directive, said: "There is no evidence that these products cause any harm, and people are passionate in their belief that they benefit from them."

Under scrutiny: some of the 300 products that face expensive safety tests

Boron (16 forms): For absorbing calcium.

Calcium ascorbate: A type of Vitamin C for those who cannot tolerate ascorbic acid.

Calcium (23 forms): Includes "bioavailable" forms of calcium needed for bones and teeth.

Chromium (17 forms): For balancing blood sugar levels; widely used by diabetics.

Copper (24 forms): For artery strength, maintaining connective tissue,

Iron (21 forms): For blood and enzymes involved in metabolism.

Magnesium (30 forms): For healthy bones and teeth, nerve transmission and muscle contraction.

Molybdenum (15 forms): Component of enzymes involved in the production of genetic material.

Potassium (21 forms): Maintains blood pressure.

Selenium (14 forms): Antioxidants. Important for heart function.

MSM (methyl sulfonylmethane): Reduces ageing of skin. May help relieve joint pain.

Data: Mike Sermon/Greenlife; Dr Robert Verkerk