Month: March 2017

New legislation currently being considered by the European Parliament could wipe out very low calorie diet products (VLCDs), which amongst a tide of rising obesity will leave tens of thousands of obese and overweight people across Europe without one of the safest and most effective options available to lose weight, warns the European Very Low Calorie Diet Industry Group (VLCD Industry Group).

VLCDs are safe, established, total dietary replacement products specifically formulated to help overweight and obese people lose weight successfully, and are a much more effective method of weight loss than cutting calories using any other conventional food combination. Without them, consumers will be left without a safe and controlled weight loss plan, being forced to turn to unregulated and very often dangerous alternatives, such as nutritionally imbalanced “fad” diets or unlicensed slimming pills.

The changes being considered by the Parliament – outlined in an act sent to it by the European Commission – set specific rules as to how VLCDs should be made. The VLCD Industry Group welcomes clear legislation in this field, but fears that the rules being proposed would make VLCDs almost impossible to manufacture and, where the products could be feasibly produced, they would taste unpleasant, have an unappealing texture, go off quite quickly and be much more expensive for consumers. The removal of such a vital weight loss tool would also undoubtedly lead to even greater levels of obesity rates across the EU.

The VLCD Industry Group is calling on MEPs to reject the proposed act ahead of a possible vote in plenary in the European Parliament this summer, and for the European Commission to reconsider these proposed rules.

Professor Anthony Leeds, Medical Director of the VLCD Industry Group said:

“Weight problems and obesity are of increasing concern as a public health challenge in Europe. The worldwide prevalence of obesity more than doubled between 1980 and 2014, and according to the World Health Organisation, overweight affects up to 70% and obesity up to 30% of adults in European Union countries. VLCDs have historically been one of the most effective weight management programmes, helping to combat not just obesity but also the raft of conditions that come hand-in-hand, such as diabetes. This proposed new legislation is going to have catastrophic effects on ordinary consumers simply wanting to manage their weight loss.

“It is also disproportionate, unnecessary and unsubstantiated as slimming foods like this are stringently regulated by the EU and its Member States. They have been carefully designed according to scientific research which ensures they consist of compositionally sound food products that provide 100% of recommended dietary allowances, including good quality protein and essential fats. These products have been marketed safely in the EU for more than 30 years and are the most – if not the only – regulated diet available on the market.

“It is essential that these rules are looked at again and that a compromise is reached in order to ensure the continued existence of these vital products.”

ENDS

The loss of very low calorie diet products (VLCDs) will leave tens of thousands of obese and overweight people across Europe without one of the safest and most effective options available to lose weight, making them more likely to turn to less regulated and potentially dangerous alternatives such as fad diets and slimming pills, warns a new report by the European Very Low Calorie Diet Industry Group (VLCD Industry Group).

The report, Protecting Consumers and Delivering a Healthier, Happier Europe, which will launch at a European Parliament event on 3^rd May, outlines a body of evidence demonstrating the need for the continued existence of VLCDs and the detrimental impact their loss would have on public health across the continent, using a sample of real-life examples of individuals whose lives have drastically improved while using the products. This is in light of newly proposed legislation that risks wiping out the weight loss programmes.

VLCDs are total dietary replacement products specifically formulated to help overweight and obese people lose weight successfully. Without them, consumers will be left without a safe and controlled weight loss plan, being forced to turn to unregulated and often dangerous alternatives, such as nutritionally imbalanced “fad” diets, including high-protein diets, and even unregulated and unlicensed slimming pills.

Unlike VLCDs, fad diets use combinations of conventional foods and as such do not fall under European legislation, presenting considerable risks to maintaining good health, particularly as they are not specially formulated to ensure the required levels of essential nutrients are provided. Alongside this, slimming pills that are not regulated by the European Medicines Agency and are not backed up clinical research may hold hidden dangers to consumers’ health, and can result in anything from high blood pressure, to liver damage, to death.

VLCDs are at risk of ceasing to exist if new legislation currently being considered by the European Parliament is implemented. The changes, which were outlined in an act sent to the Parliament by the European Commission, set specific rules as to how VLCDs should be made. The VLCD Industry Group has determined that the rules being proposed would make VLCDs very difficult to manufacture and they would taste unpleasant, have an unappealing texture, turn rancid quite quickly and be much more expensive for consumers.

The VLCD Industry Group is calling on MEPs to reject the proposed act ahead of a possible vote in plenary in the European Parliament this summer, and for the European Commission to reconsider these proposed rules.

Professor Anthony Leeds, Medical Director of the VLCD Industry Group said:

“Obesity is one of Europe’s biggest public health challenges. VLCDs and total diet replacement products are one of the most effective weight management programmes and have the potential to help combat not just obesity but also the raft of conditions that come with it, including diabetes. This proposed new legislation is going to limit the choice of ordinary consumers’ simply wanting to manage their weight loss

“In their desperation, there is a very real risk that these consumers will turn to “quick fixes” that have the potential to cause them serious harm. In 2015 alone, the UK Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) seized more than 240,000 doses of pills claiming to be for weight loss, which turned out to contain previously banned medicines associated with increased risks of heart attacks and strokes. That’s just one example – there are many other dangerous alternatives available across the continent. VLCDs are a regulated option available on the market and have been used successfully for more than 30 years, as is evident in the report. What this proposed legislation is effectively doing is putting a, and very large, needy group of people at unnecessary risk as they seek substitute weight loss options that are less likely to work and may be detrimental to their health.”

Jeroen Bertelink, a former VLCD-user said:

“I lost 94kg on my VLCD programme and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. I had considered all the other options before – the online diets, the weight loss pills, the surgery, but the risks associated with all of them were too big. You hear horror stories every day about people whose bodies suffer great damage because they trusted something on a dodgy website and I was too afraid to become just another news item. The VLCD changed my life, and rather than expose me to any health risks, it helped improve my health in many ways. I’m truly thankful for the existence of VLCDs and think it would be catastrophic if they were no longer available to help people who need them the most.”

ENDS