b' FAO/Codex others) that the credit belonged to her. to be adequate? I spoke up and observed that this was a meaningless definition be-NRVs for Personscause it was circularessentially stating Aged 6-36 Months nothing more than that adequate intake Curiously, the general meeting did notis intake of healthy people assumed to be begin on Monday, March 6th. Rather, thatadequate. The PWG admitted that the day began bright and early with a Physi- definition needed revision.cal Working Group (PWG) meeting ablyEven though everyone seemed to think chaired by Irish delegate Dr. Mary Flynnthat the General Principles should be ap-to discuss the general principles for settingplied with a scientific, evidence-based ap-the NRVs for Vitamins A, D, C, K, and E,proach to establish the NRVs, it was clear thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, Vitamins B6thatonce againCodex delegate views and B12, folate, pantothenic acid, biotin,on the NRV levels for the various vitamins calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, iodine,and minerals were childishly quaint. The copper, selenium, manganese, phosphorus,proposed NRV for Vitamin B12 is to be set and potassium for these older infants andfrom 0.5 to 0.9 micrograms per day. And young children. And, even then, since thisthe proposed NRV for Vitamin C is a mi-was really only the first tentative step in theserly 20-24 mg/day. The other proposed process, the PWG was given the narrowlevelsareequallyludicroustosupport task of just addressing the first several nu- optimal health in a developing child, in- Chairwoman & the Co-Chairwomantrients and making suggestions to the reg- cluding 70-90 micrograms/day for iodine; ular Committee when it began meeting theso, it stuns me that a Nutrition Commit- New Work Proposals following day. (Although a PWGs recom- tee whose vast majority of delegates are mendations to the full Committee do notwomen, many of whom are presumablyfor CCNFSDUhave to be followed, they generally are.)even mothers, would be so incredibly blindOn Monday afternoon, the PWG re-The PWG attendees debated definitionsor careless as to the true nutrient needs ofconvened and took up New Work and and orders of priority for the handful ofgrowing children. otherproposals.Multipleitemswere (Codex) Recognized Authoritative Scien- Fortunately, there was one brief ray ofcovered, both at the PWG and then in the tific Bodies (RASBs) to dictate the NRVs,sunshine streaming through the gather- following four days of the regular Com-with many wanting the World Health Or- ing clouds when the PWG Chairwomanmittee meeting.ganization (WHO) to trump any and allwisely and correctly observed that, Sci- 1. Folic Acid. The Swiss delegation other RASBs for any NRVs to be set byentific rigor doesnt cover everything. Itchampioned broadening the permitted Codex. certainly doesnt; and NHF will continuefood uses of the folic acid source calci-NHF took, of course, the contrarianto argue, as it did there, that these NRVum-l-methylfolate in all foods for special view and stated that it should be whoeverlevels must be adjusted upwards if we trulydietary uses for infants and young chil-had the best science supporting its positionwant healthy children. dren. This proposal sailed through both and there should be no special status givenSadly, NHF will need to fight this battlethe PWG and later the Committee itself to WHO over any other scientific body.on its own since neither the Internationalwithout a single objection.If anything, we all know that WHO hasAlliance of Dietary Supplement Associa- 2. Ascorbyl palmitate & Tocopherols. proven itself hopelessly inept and flat outtions (IADSA) nor the Council for Respon- For the proposed use of ascorbyl palmi-wrong in its strategic handling of thesible Nutrition (CRN) seemed inclined totate (fat-soluble Vitamin C) and mixed COVID-19 pandemic. Why should it betake a position on these levels. In fact, attocopherol concentrate in all types of considered any better at setting NRVs? this meeting they were both as silent as ainfant formula, NHF was their strongest One of the proposed definitions, Ade- tomb. proponent, arguing that their use was quate Intake, was much discussed by theThis meeting was the opening round oftechnologically justified as necessary to delegates. Typically, the definition readswork and will proceed as a multi-year dis- protect oils in the formula from going as follows, Adequate intake (AI) is a rec- cussion, as the Committee itself acknowl- rancid, and that these compounds were ommended intake based on observed oredged by its parceling up of the nutrientssafe vitamins. Both the PWG and, later, experimentallydeterminedapproxima- whose NRVs are to be discussed and es- theCommitteeagreedanddesignated tions or estimates of nutrient intake by atablished. This approach tracks with thethem as technologically justified.group (or groups) of apparently healthymethod Codex had employed earlier to3. Probiotics. On the surprisingly con-people that are assumed to be adequatepush forward the adult vitamin-and-min- troversial issue of prioritizing the work for persons aged 6-36 months. Assumederal NRVs. to establish harmonized guidelines for H ealtHF reedomN ews /s priNg2023 23'