5 November 2014

Health Product Bill’s Passage into Law Needed to Prevent Unethical ‘Miracle’ Cure Products

The passage of a Bill that is before Parliament would give regulators more tools to ban the sale of unethical products such as the ‘miracle’ Ebola cure that Genesis II Church of Health and Healing plans to promote in New Zealand this weekend.

Ron Geiger, Chairman of industry umbrella group Natural Products NZ (NPNZ), says its members welcome new legislation designed to better protect consumers. NPNZ represents New Zealand’s natural products, functional foods, complementary medicines, cosmeceuticals and nutraceuticals industries.

The Natural Health and Supplementary Products Bill, which awaits its third reading, will regulate the manufacturing and selling of natural health products in this country. It will strengthen regulation around which ingredients and health benefit claims will be permitted / not permitted, and what product information must be provided.

“The Bill is an important piece of legislation, which we believe will benefit consumers, the natural health and supplementary products industry and New Zealand as a whole,” says Mr Geiger.

The new regulation is needed due to consumers’ growing demand for alternative options to maintain health and assist disease prevention.

“New Zealand therefore needs a modern regulatory environment that recognises consumers’ right to information about natural health products and their functions, and the right to access products that are safe and effective,” says Mr Geiger.

The new regulations will do this by providing all parties with a higher level of assurance that the natural health and supplementary products available here are safe, approved, effective and contain what is stated on the label.

Increased transparency means that consumers will also be able to find out more about the products they are buying and to therefore become better informed about how best to use them.

“The new regulations would make it far more difficult for questionable products such as the so-called Ebola cure to be marketed and sold here so it is hoped the Government will pass the Bill into law as soon as possible,” says Mr Geiger.

Natural Products New Zealand (NPNZ) is a national industry organisation representing this country’s natural products, functional foods, complementary medicines, cosmeceuticals and nutraceuticals industries within New Zealand and internationally.

ENDS

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