Soil & Health Association of New Zealand
(Est. 1941)
Publishers of ORGANIC NZ
13 July 2007

Therapeutic Products and Medicines Bill's demise would be sweeter with the demise of Aspartame.

United States veteran Aspartame activist Betty Martini's arrival next Tuesday in New Zealand should be a natural sweetener.

"Soil & Health hopes that Radio New Zealand's news of the likely failure of the TPMB proposed amendment means a much more rational look at natural health products," said spokesperson Steffan Browning.

"It is also an opportunity for Parliament to reconsider how its agencies allow pharmaceutical toxins such as apartame so widely into the diet of New Zealanders, and question what international agencies are calling the shots."

Soil & Health has been meeting Members of Parliament to express Soil & Health member's views, and continues daily to receive signatures to its petition opposing the proposed trans-Tasman therapeutics bill. Many contained personal letters and even photos of healthy vibrant children raised with natural products.

"While the amendment to create a separate domestic body for natural products away from the more risky pharmaceutical drugs regime was a step in the right direction, a fresh start in planning such a mechanism would be preferred."

"The Bill's draconian pharmaceutical regulatory model run from Canberra would remove significant choice from those families and individuals that carefully manage their health and well-being through the use of healthy foods and natural therapies, including natural sweeteners such as stevia," said Mr Browning.

"However our food ingredients and standards already dominated by Canberra through the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and supported vigorously by New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) allow toxins such as sugar substitute Aspartame and risky GE foods into the diets of our children."

"The visit by veteran aspartame campaigner Betty Martini to speak of her views about the risks of the compound sold as NutriSweet and Equal or in a myriad of 'Diet' products, is as good a time as any for Parliamentarians to look very hard at NZFSA's new structure and FSANZ, to see if these agencies are capable of resisting the influences of the international pharmaceutical and food giants, and their dubious food safety assertions," said Steffan Browning.

Abby Cormack (027 388 4622) who had severe health issues following a high intake of aspartame from chewing gum, will be welcoming Betty Martini at Wellington airport at 9am Tuesday July 17, and will be joined by Soil & Health, Safe Food Campaign and friends.

Soil & Health has a vision of an organic nation based on healthy soil, healthy food, healthy people, without synthetic additives or GE foods.

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