UK: Threat Of Ban On Slimming Foods

Mr Jeff Rooker, minister for food safety, has said that the government will ban slimming products from April 1999 unless they meet new labelling and advertising rules designed to prevent false claims. Labels will have to list information such as calories, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals, as well as warnings of possible side effects and the need for an adequate diet. Advertising of such products will no longer be permitted to claim that they can result in the loss of a particular amount of weight or reduce the appetite.