Proposed new regs for B vitamins in NZ
of folic acid and vitamin B12 in foods under a review of the
country's dietary supplement regulations.
The review is designed to better regulate products currently sold under supplements law, but which resemble more closely 'fortified food-type products'.
A document prepared by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) also proposes interim amendments to current regulations to change the permitted types of artificial sweeteners and make allergen labelling and labelling in English mandatory.
Minister for Food Safety Annette King said the dietary supplement regulations were originally developed to cover products that contained a range of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, usually in tablet, capsule or powder form.
"Today, a small but growing number of products sold under the regulations more closely resemble food. A key concern is that the regulations are dated and out of step with regulatory best practice."
Dietary supplements will soon be regulated under a proposed joint scheme for Australia and New Zealand as complementary medicines. But the regulation of fortified food-type products will remain under the dietary supplements' regulations and is not part of the proposed joint regulator.
A key area for consideration is whether these foods should be regulated under the Food Standards Code and treated in the same way as other food products.
The document is available for public comment until 3 September.
