asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 8 January (WA 196), whether they will review their policy of allowing low value consignment relief for the import from the Crown Dependencies of food supplements and herbal remedies which, if placed directly on the United Kingdom market, would be illegal by virtue either of their composition or of the claims made about them. [HL1690]

As there is no prohibition on the importation of food supplements for personal use within the EC food supplement directive, with the exception within the UK of Kava-Kava containing foodstuffs, UK Customs must apply the VAT exemption rules.

There are no immediate plans to make any legal or procedural changes to the relief, but the Government take very seriously the impacts of international trading patterns on UK-based businesses and appreciate the wide range of factors that contribute to the pressures facing retailers. Therefore the matter will remain under review.