IAHF LIST:
A few days ago, after reading the US draft comments on Codex Agenda Item
#5: (Proposed Draft Guidelines for Vitamin and Mineral Supplements) I first
became aware of a 55 page document that I had never seen titled "A Risk
Assessment Model for Establishing Upper Intake Levels for Nutrition"
and I was alarmed that I had never been sent a copy given that I'm a member
of the US Delegation, and should have received a copy a long time ago. With
the Codex meeting in Berlin fast approaching, I called Dr.Moore at the FDA
who sent me a copy, but he "didn't know if the document was available
online for downloading."

I was unable to find it by using a search engine, and feverishly set out to
scan it in order to make it available through the IAHF website, only to get
bogged down by having to recreate several tables found within it. (The main
table can now be seen at iahf.com under breaking news.) Amber Needham put
several hours into scanning the text, a maddening process of fixing OCR
glitches, when just yesterday, I was told by another member of the Codex
delegation that an "ABRIDGED" (Read "CENSORED" version of the document was
available from the USDA website, but I couldn't get it and had the url
written down wrong. So I queried the USDA and they provided the correct url
(below).

I have yet to download the "ABRIDGED" version to compare it to the
"COMPLETE" version in order to figure out what was cut out, but I suspect
that when I make this comparison, MUCH will be revealed. There is a GROSS,
as in UTTERLY GROTESQUE lack of HONESTY and lack of TRANSPARENCY in this
heavily OPAQUE process, and it is OUTRAGEOUS!
 

QUESTION: Why couldn't Dr.Moore at the FDA guide me to the "Abridged
version" on the web, or at least tell me who to contact for it? Could it be
that he doesn't want me to notice whatever was CUT OUT?? There is a gross
lack of transparency in this process. The FDA did not respond to my demand
that the 2nd paragraph be deleted from their comments since it contradicts
their first paragraph, and they didn't respond to my demand that the
document be withdrawn since it wasn't available for download. Even though
they do have an abridged version on the web, there is no excuse not to have
the WHOLE THING, INCLUDING TABLES available, and there should be a process
by which the public, and especially members of their delegation, can find
out about documents like this in order to have sufficient time to provide
input. The process is grossly untransparent. Congressman Ron Paul is once
again looking after our interests in an effort to provide badly needed
oversight. I spoke with Norm Singleton today on his staff, and he will be
submitting a statement of concern about this to the FDA today, signed by
the cosponsors of HR 2868.

Stay tuned. Its not over til the fat lady sings. The Constitution of
America is a living, breathing document which lives in the hearts and minds
of the people. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance, and we have an
absolute right to complain about the CODEX SHELLGAME which is so often
characterized by this sort of non transparency. Call your Congressman today
via the Capital Switchboard at 202-225-3121 and ask them to contact Ron
Paul's office in order to add their name to his demand letter to the FDA,
and to sign on to his bill which pulls the USA out of the UN. (I remind you
that the Codex Alimentarius Commission is a UN entity.) "World Government"
does not work, and the Codex process PROVES that it doesn't!!

>From: USCodex <USCodex@usda.gov>
>To: "'John Hammell'" <jham@iahf.com>
>Subject: RE: Trying to Find a Specific Document online:
>Date:  Wed, 16 Sep 1998 07:34:28 -0400
>X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.0.1458.49)
>
>Dear Mr. Hammell,
>
>The U.S. Codex website is www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/codex.  When you access
>the site, you will want to click on the "What's new" page.  On that page
>there is a paragraph about the document and you can click on the title
>of the document to read it.  Alternately, you can find the document at
>www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/codex/nfsdu.htm.  The will take you to the CCNFSDU
>page on the U.S. Codex website and you can access the document from
>there.
>
>Please let me know if you are unable to find it.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Ellen Y. Matten
>Staff Officer
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: John Hammell [SMTP:jham@iahf.com]
>> Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 1998 8:56 PM
>> To: USCodex@dchqexs1.hqnet.usda.gov
>> Subject: Trying to Find a Specific Document online:
>>
>> Hello:
>>
>> I was told that the document "A Risk Assessment Model for Establishing
>> Upper Intake Levels for Nutrients" which the FDA is submitting to the
>> Codex
>> Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Use is available
>> on
>> the web in your site, but I can't find it. I was told by John Hathcock
>> of
>> CRN that it could be found at
>> www.fsis.usda.gov/capitalOA/CODEX/ccnfsdu1.htm  but it wasn't there
>> when I
>> looked- did I write the url down incorrectly?
>>
>> If it is available either on your site or elsewhere, please let me
>> know where.
>>
>> Regards,
>> John Hammell
>> ******************************************
>> CODEX MEETING IN BERLIN, GERMANY SEPTEMBER 21-25th
>> Am On the US Codex Delegation, But the Gov.
>> Doesn't Pay Our Way for NGO Observers
>> If YOU Want the Shell Game Monitored-
>> Kindly Help Met To Defend YOUR Access to
>> VITAMINS WITHIN THE THERAPEUTIC RANGE
>> Send Check or MO in US $ to:
>> John C. Hammell, legislative advocate
>> IAHF 2411 Monroe St.
>> Hollywood, Florida 33020 USA
>> http://www.iahf.com
>> 800-333-2553, 954-929-2905 outside USA
>> jham@iahf.com, fax 954-929-0507
>
>
******************************************
CODEX MEETING IN BERLIN, GERMANY SEPTEMBER 21-25th
Am On the US Codex Delegation, But the Gov.
Doesn't Pay Our Way for NGO Observers
If YOU Want the Shell Game Monitored-
Kindly Help Met To Defend YOUR Access to
VITAMINS WITHIN THE THERAPEUTIC RANGE
Send Check or MO in US $ to:
John C. Hammell, legislative advocate
IAHF 2411 Monroe St.
Hollywood, Florida 33020 USA
http://www.iahf.com
800-333-2553, 954-929-2905 outside USA
jham@iahf.com, fax 954-929-0507