For your information, here is the situation on chromium picolinate
as I understand it.
Sepp
Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2004 15:30:59 +0100
To: Julie Caldwell [email protected]
From: Josef Hasslberger [email protected]
Subject: Re: Picolinate?
Dear Julie,
Here is the information I have, which appeared in the Federsalus (Italian NNFA-type association) information for December 2003:
UK
Il comitato della FSA e il COM (Commitee on the Mutagenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and Environment's) ha avuto un meeting il 13 novembre dove si � discusso sul cromo picolinato e sulla possibilit� di considerarlo genotossico, in base a evidenze fornite dal gruppo di esperti di vitamine e minerali(EVM).
Prima di prendere dei provvedimenti si � deciso di condurre ricerche su altri tipi di cromo picolinato in commercio, e di divulgare informazioni per i consumatori per un corretto uso degli integratori di cromo.
Nonostante questo l'Autorit� europea per la sicurezza alimentare non ha approvato l'uso del cromo picolinato negli alimenti destinati ad un'alimentazione particolare,ivi compresi alimenti per il controllo del peso e per gli sportivi.
Di conseguenza l'uso di questa sostanza in prodotti alimentari e dietetici diventer� illegale dal 1 aprile 2004.
Re-translated into English:
United Kingdom:
The committee of FSA (the UK Food Standards Agency) and the COM (Committee on Mutagenicity of Chemicals in Fod, Consumer Products and the Environment) had a meeting on 13 November, where chromium picolinate was discussed. The possibility was raised to consider the substance genotoxic, on the basis of evidence submitted by the (UK) Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals (EVM).
The conclusion the meeting arrived at was that, before taking any official decision, more studies should be undertaken with another type of chromium picolinate on the market, and to publicize the resulting information with consumers so they could make a correct decision on how to utilize chromium supplements.
However, despite that decision, the European Food Safety Authority took the step of disapproving the use of chromium picolinate in foods for particular dietary uses, a category which includes slimming products and sports products.
For that reason, the use of this substance in food and dietary products will become illegal from 1 April 2004.
In my search for information on this, I also came across an article on the Nutraingredients.com website, under the title:
Popular supplement may cause genetic mutations
- 20/03/2003 - The popular dietary supplement chromium picolinate, often taken to speed up weight loss, may cause severe DNA damage, finds a new study.
Here is the direct link to this article, which has been there since March 2003.
I understand that once the European Food Safety Authority has disapproved a dossier for a substance, that substance may no longer stay on the market. No further decision is needed.
Kind regards
Josef
Dear Josef,
Please update me on your understanding of the status of chromium picolinate
in Europe and/or UK and/or Italy. Has the dossier been actively rejected?
I've seen DRAFT Food Regulations for UK which suggest it would be banned at
July 31, 2004, but that regulation is still in draft form...
Thanks very much.
Regards,
Julie Caldwell
International Regulatory Affairs
Natural Organics, Inc.
548 Broadhollow Road
Melville NY 11747 USA
001 631 293-0030 ext 485
001 631 249-7114 (FAX)
[email protected]
