Karnataka herbal sector has reacted positively to the Health Food Supplements Bill proposed by the department of AYUSH (Ayurveda Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy). The state's department of AYUSH is certain that the Bill will be advantageous for the consumer and the industry. They opined that the proposed Bill would give a fillip to the sector in terms of quality and reliable product information which is in a way to keep pace with the times of educated and aware consumers.

"Today's consumers are well-informed. They are aware of the ailments and cures. The proposed Bill will allow the products to display only the basic structure of their functional claims," said Ravi Prasad, president, and CEO, The Himalaya Drug Company.

What is good about the proposed Health Food Supplements Bill is that the Indian System of Medicine is really thinking pro-consumer, added Ravi Prasad.

Under the bill, no dietary supplements or nutraceuticals will be allowed to put functional claims other than the products nutritional values on their labels or in the campaigns. The objective of the Bill is to ensure that the consumer is not misled by the companies, stated sources from the department of AYUSH, government of Karnataka.

The bill will now streamline the licensing of health food supplements, nutraceuticals and dietary supplements which are known for gross violations in production, confusing consumers with their functional claims and nutritional values, stated drug inspectors at the Karnataka department of AYUSH.

The Bill according to Ravi Prasad will not effect any changes in The Himalaya Drug Company's strategies since the company's has been a forerunner in this trend and has been following the practices proposed in the Bill.

The pharmaceutical companies engaged in the production of nutraceuticals from Karnataka are Micro Labs, Strides Arcolabs, Zydus-Recon Anglo French, AstraZeneca Pharma India, Banner Pharmacaps. Sources representing these companies were positive that the Bill would give a boost to the industry.

Officials from British Biologicals, which is also a dedicated nutraceuticals manufacturer opined that the Bill is 'pro-consumer' and could only benefit the industry. "There is no doubt that the herbal industry is gearing up to take up the challenges once the Bill is passed."
None in the State herbal sector were able to ascertain how soon the Bill would be passed. But they hoped that there would be no further delay.