A CAMPAIGN has been launched against new European laws that could devastate the UK's thriving health food sector and badly damage businesses in Bolton.

Dr Brian Iddon, MP for Bolton South East, said the Government must act to protect local health stores from two European directives that could wipe hundreds of safe vitamin, mineral and herbal products from the shelves.

Dr Iddon said jobs would be lost and the consumer would suffer if the two directives were implemented and products such as vitamins B6 and C, and St John's Wort were banned.

Dr Iddon, who was at Parliament to present a petition signed by more than one million people, said: "The European directives would be a threat against the innovation of new products and would result in job losses.

"I know that my constituents are worried about the new European directives. Consumers would lose out because they will be unable to use health products they have been using for years."

Anne Mohyuddin, a partner of the Health Food Centre in Deansgate, Bolton, said: "The new European directive would take away half of my business. People take vitamin and mineral supplements as part of their everyday diet. If this is taken away, it will not only be ourselves losing business, but our customers will be missing out as well."

The Food Supplements Directive, which will contain a list of nutrients and nutrient sources for use in dietary supplements, would ban more than 300 popular ingredients that have been used in Britain for decades. And the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive would have a devastating effect on the availability of herbal products in the UK as it would ban products unless they had been sold for the past 30 years.