Review Of Bee Product Warnings Planned

Associate Health Minister, Hon Tuariki Delamere, today announced the Government is planning to establish an expert working group to review the warning regime for dietary supplements and foods containing bee products.

This follows the introduction in April this year of Amendment 11 to the New Zealand Food Standard 1996, which introduced mandatory warnings for products containing royal jelly, bee pollen or propolis.

Previously, varied warnings were placed voluntarily on most products.

The proposed working group would be made up of food and public health scientists, including a scientist from the bee industry, although final membership of the group has yet to be decided.

The group would advise on whether the precautionary approach to warnings is appropriate; whether the quality of evidence that led to the mandatory requirement was adequate; and whether the quality and extent of the risk assessment and consultation was adequate and appropriate.