The healthcare industry is gravely concerned about the influence of the Ministry of Health's role in distorting the
make-up of the group who will undertake the Ministerial inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the imposition of
warning labels on bee products.
Despite promises that Industry would be consulted, the Associate Minister of Health, Hon Tuariki Delamere, continues to
refuse to listen to industry's concerns about the make-up of the Inquiry group. Even the terms of reference published by
the Minister have been changed with no consultation and no notification. This has been typical of industry's experience
during this whole sorry saga. Industry finds this continual shifting of the goal posts and apparent abuse of power
totally unacceptable.
Ron Law, Executive Director of the National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA) whose complaint about the warning
labels was upheld by the Regulations Review Select Committee, says that nothing has changed. Eighteen months into this
sorry saga and the bee industry is still being stung by officialdom.
The Ministry of Health is trying to stack the Inquiry group with its own medical advisers. Ron Law is at a loss to
understand how the very institution being investigated is able to dictate the make-up of the Inquiry despite the
Minister's unconvincing claims that he is leading the process.
Contradictory statements from the Minister have left Industry with little choice. Ron Law says that the NNFA has written
to both Mr Delamere and the Chairman of the Regulations Review Select Committee, the Rt Hon Jonathon Hunt, on behalf of
the dietary supplement, bee and health practitioner industries expressing industry's grave concerns about the apparent
lack of transparency, lack of objectivity and lack of equity.
Despite the Select Committee finding that the Ministry lacked scientific evidence, failed to utilize risk assessment
methodology and abused its power in imposing the regulations, and despite the resignation of the Director General of
Public Health, nothing appears to have changed.
"Unless the Minister ensures that a level playing field is established and industry is consulted regarding the make-up
of the committee then we will have little choice but to withdraw from the charade," says Ron Law.
ENDS