Comfrey and the duplicitous Health Canada
Dear Croft,
I am acknowledging receipt of your email to me today and I am passing on
your comments to our CHFA Board of Directors.
I am concerned about your comments that our Director or Regulatory Affairs
and Quality Assurance never contacted you. I was under the impression that
she did contact you with regard to Codex issues. I will speak to her and
find out what her response is and I will have her contact you directly.
In spite of our differences of opinion I understand your frustration with
Health Canada however we have chosen to go this route as you know so that
we could get away from being classified as a drug. The new year will tell
the story once we are regulated as a NHP, we anticipate that there will be
new opportunities for the industry and that the credibility of our products
will be raised in the eyes of the consumer. We know our battles are now
over yet, however, my opinion is that we have made a lot of headway, but
the proof will be in the pudding.
You are right that when I walk away from this position my life changes,
however, I still will be in the industry as a member of the CHFA and I will
also be living with what we created. I am actually looking forward to the
implementation of these regulations and using the regulations to promote
products that have evidence to do what we have known for years these
products are capable of. I believe Croft that our time has some and that
this industry will zoom forward with great strides and finally be
recognized as an industry that has solutions to our nations health and
wellness.
Croft I wish you the best Season's Greetings and a Healthy and Joyful New
Year.
My regards to your Mother,
Donna
On Wednesday, December 17, 2003, at 02:33 PM, croft woodruff wrote:
Hello Donna:
I just received a faxed copy of your communication to Dianne Gorman
expressing your annoyance regarding Health Canada's latest promotion of
the blatantly fraudulent claims about comfrey.
If anything should underscore the fact and convince you and the CHFA
directors of the fact our industry has been sold down the river this ought
to be it. Health Canada's action on Kava should have done it. St. John's
Wort is next. Then B-6, vitamin C, niacin, Co Q 10, Alpha Lipoic Acid.
If Health Canada was truly sincere about dealing on a level playing field
then we should have been given back our right to sell the amino acids
(banned in the 1980's), melatonin, boron, N' Acetyl Carnitine, etc., and
other supplements that were taken away form us yet available in the United
States. And that does not even address Health Canada's failure to deal
with the problem of heavy metal laced and prescription drug laced herbals
imported from Asia and sold in Asian ethnic markets while illegally
raiding and libeling legitimate companies like Truehope.
Donna, As a regional officer for the CHFA in the middle 1970's, I had a
meeting arranged with Health Canada and Consumer and Corporate regional
officials. We were told in no uncertain terms the best thing we could do
to cooperate with the federal government was to "get out of business!"
Judy Nelson was present at the meeting and a witness to this insult. This
hostile attitude of Health Canada's middle management has not change since
then. It was no different than when Sloan Alma Smith, founder of Trophic,
solicited my mother's membership for the CHFA in the mid1960's.
650 pages of ATI's and two audits of Health Canada is evidence enough of
the conspiracy between Health Canada's middle management and the pharma
cartels to emasculate if not totally eradicate the health food industry.
Current and pending lawsuits and ultimately the passing of Bill C420 at
third reading are the only things that will stop this industry's slide
down the slippery slope to oblivion.
The CHFA Board has been suckered big time.
I find it extremely odious that those who have dared to stand up and try
to draw the industry's attention to this disastrous route have had to face
character assassination from some on the board who either ought to know
better or have a hidden agenda of their own. I also found it interesting
that although I was invited to join the CHFA panel, your science director
never saw fit to contact me for information or advice.
As I see it - with possibly one or two exceptions - the real big players
in this industry really don't give a damn about the small independent
health food retailer. They think they'll still be making mega bucks when
their vitamins of any significant potency will be by prescription only -
more fool they. There won't be any MD's to prescribe them since the
provincial medical licensing boards frown on doctors prescribing vitamins
over deadly drugs. The naturopaths will be out of the loop having their
right to draw body fluids, give injections and diagnose taken away -
country wide - as is now happening in British Columbia. Is there a
conspiracy here? What do you think Project 2000 is? It just happened to be
implemented year or two late.
Seasons Greetings,
Croft Woodruff
Of course, you won't have to worry about it. You will be out of it when
your resignation takes effect.
Donna Herringer
President & CEO
Canadian Health Food Association
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