DIETARY supplements will from now on be sold only at pharmacies, after a law was passed bringing Cyprus into line with EU regulations.
Until now, dietary supplements could be sold freely by anyone – even door to door – without inspection.
The Ministry of Health considered dietary supplements as medication, but EU regulations brands them as food products. A new law therefore had to be passed to categorise dietary supplements as food products, which will be inspected by the Health Services, and can now only be sold at pharmacies.
The legislation states the Health Services must test the dietary supplements’ levels of vitamins to ensure they are within EU directives. The advertising of the products must also be monitored and they cannot be promoted as therapeutic or marketed as a cure for diseases or health problems.
The new law also states that importers of dietary supplements are required to file a form at the Health Services listing all the information on their product in order to sell it. Once the Cabinet has approved the dietary supplement, parliament will also review the request.
One pharmacist yesterday told the Cyprus Mail that dietary supplements are a safe alternative to food only if taken as prescribed.
“Most dietary supplements come from natural ingredients, namely plants. However, some of these plants could be harmful to some individuals and if they are not taken as prescribed they can be dangerous,” said the pharmacist.
According to the pharmacist, dietary supplements must not be taken for a long period of time. “If somebody wants to go on a diet they can take dietary supplements to replace their meals. You can add water and milk and you will gain the necessary nutrients.”
However, the pharmacist revealed that not many people purchased dietary supplements from pharmacies. “The problem is that people are buying dietary supplements from gyms and they do not really know what they are buying. The situation is out of control as people are wanting to look thinner and will go to any lengths to do so.”
The pharmacist said some products were sold from door to door. “You do not need to be a qualified dietitian to sell dietary supplements for this company. All you do is try to sell as many as you can to the uninformed public and get commission. This is disgraceful as we are talking about society’s health,” said the pharmacist.
