PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
VITAMIN B6 (6 July 1997)

That this House notes that millions of United Kingdom consumers regularly take higher dose supplements of vitamin B6 both to promote their overall health and wellbeing and to tackle specific nutritional deficiencies; observes that such products have an excellent safety record and that they are widely believed to be efficacious in a wide range of conditions including, according to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, helping with the effects of pre-menstrual tension; further notes that the validity of any recent work challenging the safety of higher dose B6 products has been called extensively into question as being based upon fundamentally flawed studies; regrets that the extensive scientific literature supporting the claims of safety of B6 was not considered fully by the Food Advisory Committee prior to its previous discussions on such matters; observes that any proposed ban on the sales of higher dose B6 supplements, if based upon flawed information, would deny millions of consumers access to safe products of their choice and would adversely affect public health; urges the Minister of State for Food Safety to consult further about this proposal before reaching any final decision; and invites him to defend consumers' continuing rights of access to such safe products of their choice.

Sponsored by:
Ann Winterton (Conservative)