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Save Our Goji Berries - Plea to FSA From UK's Largest Superfood Importer

Monday 5th March 2007, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, UK -- Detox Your World, UK's leading online superfood retailer, has responded to the Foods Standards Agency (FSA) following their request for information on British goji berry consumption.

The company, which is the UK's largest importer of wild and organically-certified goji berries, has evidence of significant goji berry consumption and also that the goji berry plant is native to the British Isles.

The FSA is considering classing goji berries as a novel food - under the EU Novel Foods Regulation (EC) 258/97, a food is judged to be novel if it was not eaten in a significant quantity in Europe before May 1997. The Food Standards Agency has so far found insufficient evidence to show goji berries have been eaten regularly in any European country before May 1997 and has invited UK health food companies to provide evidence of significant consumption of goji berries in the UK. If no new evidence is presented to the FSA before 23 March, the Agency will inform food businesses and enforcement bodies that, under European legislation, goji berries will be considered a novel food and face withdrawal from sale.

Detox Your World imports goji berries, also known as wolfberries, directly from China and according to Chinese customs records, goji berries have been exported from China to worldwide locations before 1996. In 1996, 4,412,352kg of goji berries were exported to Hong Kong which at that time was still a British colony. Therefore, Detox Your World believe the exports to Hong Kong should be considered by the FSA as evidence of British consumption.

The goji berry plant, Lycium barbarum, is also known as Duke of Argyll's Tea Tree after the 3rd Duke of Argyll introduced the plant to the UK in the 1730s. The plant still grows wild in hedgerows in the UK and in 2003, DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) introduced regulations to protect wild hedgerows and named Lycium barbarum as one of the species found growing in the East of England.

Both of these crucial pieces of information have been given to the FSA, along with all relevent documentation. Detox Your World's Managing Director, Shazzie says "Lots of our customers are bulk buying at the moment because they fear their beloved goji berry will soon be unavailable. Luckily, they last a good couple of years under the right conditions! My advice to consumers is to buy, buy, buy. We won't know the outcome right until the 23rd of March, and if they're banned, then we'll have to withdraw them from sale immediately."

About Shazzie

Shazzie (www.shazzie.com) is the UK's most prolific and popular raw food writer, speaker and chef. She's written three books, published over 300 raw food recipes and is the Managing Director of Detox Your World (Rawcreation Ltd). As well as being full-time mother to her raw toddler Evie, she regularly hosts raw food retreats and events.

About Detox Your World

Detox Your World's holding company Rawcreation Ltd (www.rawcreation.com) was established on 14th June 2000. It is an ethical, raw-vegan-friendly company. It helps people change their worlds by changing themselves. It offers educational products, events, foods, supplements, and bags of love.

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