The Government is providing certainty for the dietary supplements industry as we work to overhaul the rules governing the products, Minister for Food Safety Dr Ayesha Verrall said.
Dietary supplements are health and wellness products taken orally to supplement a traditional diet. Some examples include vitamin and mineral supplements, echinacea, fish oils and probiotic tablets.
"The dietary supplements industry is worth an estimated $2.3 billion to the economy and continues to grow," Dr Ayesha Verrall said.
"The Food (Continuation of Dietary Supplements Regulations) Amendment Bill passed its third reading today. We need modern regulations in place to keep pace with these changes in the products and consumers' expectations.
"We've extended the current regulations for five years to ensure industry and consumers have certainty while we do this work.
"This will mean our industry can continue to operate with certainty while new regulations are developed to consider all health and wellbeing products including traditional and herbal medicines.
"We need regulations that will keep allowing for innovation while continuing to ensure the safety and suitability of products.
"A five-year extension of the Regulations is needed to allow consultation and development of new legislation, and a minimum two-year transition period," Dr Ayesha Verrall said.
