Dr Ian Gibson served as the Member of Parliament for Norwich North from 1997 to 2009. During that period I had the pleasure and the privilege of working closely with him in the fight against over-burdensome regulations from the European Union that would have criminalised the sale of safe and popular vitamin and mineral food supplements. His death comes as sad news to many of us who knew him and admired, in particular, his good humour and ability to make complex science digestible for a political audience. He chaired, with distinction, the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee.
Bringing to bear his expertise as the former Dean of Biology at the University of East Anglia, Gibson worked closely with Dr Brian Iddon, then MP for Bolton East, and himself a research chemist, to make the humble vitamin pill an issue of national political importance so great that, to this day, the offending article [5] of the Food Supplements Directive, requiring the setting of maximum permitted levels for nutrients in such supplements, has never been implemented.
The Team at Whitehouse Communications are saddened by his passing and extend to his bereaved family our most sincere condolences. May Ian rest in peace, and may perpetual light shine upon him.
You can read this month’s developments in more detail on our Food & Nutrition Newsletter.
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If your business needs any support or advice in navigating food regulation and policy challenges, or if you have any questions about how the impact on your sector, please contact Viviana Spaghetti, Director of European Affairs at Viviana.Spaghetti@whitehousecomms.com
