As the authoritative voice of the natural health industry, the HFMA supports the interests of its members with legislators and regulators; promotes industry best practice for product quality and safety; and provides responsible information for consumers.

Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation

• Lobbying by HFMA & partners ensured legislation less draconian than original draft
• HFMA members have submitted nearly 100 claims in total

Food Supplements Directive – Missing Ingredients

• HFMA submitted 47 full dossiers for key ‘missing ingredients’
• Four approvals amongst the few assessments completed by EFSA

Food Supplements Directive – Maximum Levels

• Highly coordinated lobbying resulted in UK Government commitment to consumer choice
• HFMA-exclusive ‘Savigny’ legal opinion highly influential in EU

Herbals

• Herbal Forum has achieved improved implementation of Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive
• European Botanical Forum continues to promote the role of botanical food supplements

Balancing Media Coverage

• Appointment of Pegasus PR provides a major new weapon in promoting positive messages and countering spurious negative stories

Unfair competition

• HFMA-exclusive campaign to eliminate unfair competition achieved u-turn in the UK approach to imports of food supplements/herbal products from the Channel Islands

Sports Nutrition

• Founder-member of European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance that works to ensure appropriate legislation for this growth sector

Novel Foods

• HFMA – lead player in the FSA’s lifting of the threat to classify Goji Berries as a “novel food”: one of several HFMA interventions

Fighting threats to imports

• HFMA deeply involved in fighting inappropriate application of legislation that might threaten imports of gelatine capsules, bulk fish oils & fish-derived materials like glucosamine

Irradiation & Contamination

• Potential negative publicity from FSA surveys was quashed by early HFMA intervention & dialogue with regulators

Defending the Borderline

• HFMA/LAPAD continually monitor application of the food:medicine borderline

Mutual Recognition

• HFMA at forefront of preparing the use of mutual recognition in the UK market

LAPAD

• LAPAD’s wise advice has helped many companies maximise the effectiveness of their product presentation yet keep on the right side of the borderline

Information & Education

• Timely bulletins, group meetings and workshops have given all HFMA members the opportunity to benefit from leading edge information & advice