Superfoods under attack: UK's Food Standards Agency threatens to stop sale of goji berries

Monday, March 05, 2007 by: M. T. Whitney
Tags: goji berries, superfoods, health news

(NewsTarget) The new hot superfood, goji berries, may be pulled from the British market if it cannot be shown that the berries are approved for consumption by European Union food standards, according to the Times newspaper of Britain. The berries, which offer many health advantages, are under threat of banishment because they may be considered a "new food" and therefore have not been tested and approved by the EU.

Jump directly to: conventional view | alternative view | resources | bottom line

What you need to know - Conventional View

• To avoid a goji berry ban, evidence needs to be shown that they regularly had been eaten by Britons before May 1997, the month and year that EU regulations came into effect that change how "new foods" are approved.

• In Britain, the evidence deadline is March 23 or the sale of berries will be banned completely. If banned, the process to get them back on the market takes two years.

• Goji berries have been eaten for centuries in Asia, but their popularity in Europe surged in recent months after celebrities popularized them.

• Recently introduced products with goji berries include cereal bars and dried fruit packs.

What you need to know - Alternative View

Statements and opinions by Mike Adams

• This attempt to ban goji berries is just a small taste of the global vitamin and supplement ban being pushed by pharmaceutical companies under CODEX regulations. Drug companies want to outlaw any food, herb or natural substance that actually promotes health.

• Goji berries have been used safely and effectively in Chinese medicine for thousands of years. The idea that such a healing berry would be banned from sale due to safety concerns is utterly absurd.

• Welcome to the New World Order. Drugs are safe, and berries are dangerous. Or, at least, that's what the world's controlling corporations want you to believe.

Resources you need to know

• A good source for goji berries is Navitas Naturals www.navitasnaturals.com

Bottom line

• EU regulations may prevent Britons from buying a superfood safely eaten for centuries in Asia.