A PETITION with 162 signatures against a EU directive which could restrict the sale of nutrients has been handed to Sir Michael Spicer, MP for West Worcestershire.

The petition, collected by Jenny Creese, of Beewell Health Stores, in Pershore, was set up by the Consumers for Health Choice and the National Association of Health Stores.

Together with thousands of people from all over the country who regularly take vitamin and mineral supplements and herbal remedies, they are concerned an EU Directive will restrict the sale of many nutrients which are essential for health and will also lower the potency of important well-known vitamins or minerals rendering them virtually useless.

A typical example, Mrs Creese said, was Vitamin B6 which was being recommended to be lowered to a mere 10mg, compared with a current dose of 50-100mg, an important part of the B complex affected by many drugs currently taken, particularly women on HRT or the contraceptive pill.

"Many herbal remedies are also under threat and manufacturers are being forced out of business because of the tremendous cost involved in licensing these natural medicines, which in turn forces the prices up tremendously," Mrs Creese said.

She urged customers to write to their MPs and MEPs voicing their concerns in a bid to protect their existing rights and their health.

It would also help to reduce the costs to the NHS and to allow people to be able to continue to take supplements and natural medicines in their present state.

6 Fighting the EU: Sir Michael Spicer receives the petition from Jenny Creese last Saturday. dc2211-a