The public health minister, Anna Soubry MP, will address the annual Consumers for Health Choice Parliamentary Reception later in the year.
The minister’s acceptance of an invitation to speak at the reception is being seen as further endorsement of CHC’s success in keeping regulation of the sector firmly on the political agenda.
Speaking today, Chris Whitehouse, CHC director of strategy says: “The CHC social media and in-store campaign is going from strength to strength. It is a great example of what can be achieved when consumers lead a campaign and have the support of retailers and distributors in getting out their message. We are delighted to have secured once again the agreement in principle of the minister to attend and address our Parliamentary Reception, which shows the high esteem in which the organisation is held at the heart of Government.”
The Minister’s continuing willingness actively to engage to support CHC follows a meeting earlier this year with a delegation of CHC’s parliamentary supporters who encouraged her to write to the EU Commissioner, Tonio Borg, to put the UK’s concerns about food supplement regulation firmly on the agenda for a private meeting between the Commissioner and Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt MP.
Almost 1000 people have downloaded from CHC’s new web site the template letter for writing to their local MP, enclosing a copy of CHC’s latest briefing material, and tens of thousands of leaflets are now being printed for distribution through many hundreds of retail outlets which are already displaying CHC posters as part of the campaign. Nearly 280,000 consumers have now pledged their support for CHC’s campaign.
“The campaign is really taking off in the UK,” says Whitehouse. “Now we must take the message out once again to the European Parliament and other EU Governments. Everyone who cares about freedom to choose should encourage all their contacts to visit www.saveoursupplements.org.uk and register their support”
