ANP Quarterly Policy & Practice Report

Q3 2026 | July–September 2026

Q3 saw continued progress in strengthening ANP’s influence across the UK and internationally, with a particular focus on professional standards, regulatory developments and recognition of naturopathic practice.

The quarter also brought important developments on supplements, prevention, neighbourhood health and the UK–EU relationship, alongside growing opportunities to demonstrate the contribution of practitioners to wider health policy.

Looking ahead, ANP will continue to build strategic relationships, monitor emerging regulation and policy, and ensure members’ interests are represented across the UK, Ireland and international forums.

Protecting access to nutritional supplements

The regulation of vitamins and minerals in food supplements remained a major ANP policy priority during Q3.

EU proposals to introduce maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals continue to progress, with a consultation in 2026 and legislation anticipated in 2028.

The ANP supported the Save Our Supplements campaign and highlighted the potential implications for UK practitioners and consumers, including the possibility that manufacturers could standardise products to lower EU levels.

Northern Ireland remains of particular interest because of the application of relevant EU goods rules under the Windsor Framework.

The ANP also highlighted the importance of developments  and campaigned in Ireland, where the Government confirmed in August that it had not yet finalised its position on the EU proposals. This provides an opportunity for continued engagement around consumer choice and evidence-based regulation.

UK–EU SPS Agreement

The proposed UK–EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement became a major focus of ANP parliamentary engagement during September.

The proposed agreement could bring EU rules covering food supplements, fortified foods, foods for specific groups, novel foods, nutrition and health claims, labelling and other food standards within its scope. The Government’s Call for Information has now closed, making parliamentary engagement an increasingly important route for raising concerns.

The ANP asked members to contact their MPs and highlight three key issues:

• ensuring UK practitioners, consumers and industry have a meaningful voice in future EU rule-making;
• ensuring UK stakeholders can engage before relevant EU rules apply in Great Britain; and
• protecting access to safe, appropriately regulated supplements and natural health products.

Members were also asked to share responses from MPs with the ANP so that the organisation can build a picture of parliamentary views and party positions on the issue.

By the end of September, responses from MPs were beginning to come in, providing an opportunity for the ANP to build a stronger evidence base for future parliamentary engagement.

The prevention agenda gathers pace

Prevention and neighbourhood health remained a key area of policy interest during Q3.

The Government’s wider prevention agenda and implementation of the NHS 10-Year Plan provide an important opportunity for appropriately qualified naturopathic practitioners to contribute to community-based prevention, nutrition, lifestyle and behaviour change.

The ANP continued to advocate for the role that qualified practitioners could play within emerging neighbourhood health services, social prescribing pathways and future Personal Health Budget initiatives.

The publication of new Office for Health Improvement and Disparities data in September also reinforced the importance of addressing the wider determinants of health, including food insecurity, housing, employment, fuel poverty and the healthy environment.

For ANP members, these developments support a broader approach to prevention that recognises the interaction between nutrition, lifestyle, social circumstances and environmental influences. This is a clear route to NHS funds for ANP members and it is vital that we learn to work in this way.

Neighbourhood health: a growing role for prevention

The Government launched six neighbourhood health ‘trailblazer’ pilots during September, backed by £1.5 million, to test new approaches to delivering care closer to home.

The pilots bring together NHS services, councils, community organisations and local people, with a focus on prevention, tackling health inequalities and supporting people to remain independent.

This is an important development for practitioners working in prevention and community health. The pilots will help inform how local health systems work with organisations beyond traditional NHS services.

The ANP is encouraging members to understand what is happening in their own areas, identify the relevant Integrated Care Board and local authority, understand local prevention priorities and begin building relationships with local decision-makers and community organisations.

The ANP will continue to monitor the trailblazers and explore opportunities for professionally qualified natural healthcare practitioners to contribute to future neighbourhood health provision.

International representation and collaboration

During Q3, the ANP continued to strengthen its international relationships and ensure that UK natural healthcare practitioners are represented in wider European and international discussions.

Our partner organisation, the Association for Natural Medicine in Europe (ANME), maintained an active presence across European health policy, participating in discussions involving organisations including the European Public Health Alliance, ECHAMP and EFSA. Its work has covered antimicrobial resistance, mental health, pharmaceutical legislation and Health Technology Assessment, as well as Traditional European Medicine and international traditional and complementary healthcare initiatives.

The ANP also attended the International Congress on Naturopathic Medicine (ICNM) in Paris in July, strengthening relationships with international naturopathic associations and exchanging information on education, regulation and professional best practice.

These relationships provide an important international perspective for the ANP as regulatory and policy developments increasingly cross national borders.

International regulatory developments

The introduction of Poland’s Lex Charlatan legislation highlighted the potential for regulatory approaches designed to address medical misinformation and unproven therapies to have wider implications for complementary and traditional healthcare.

The ANP joined other natural medicine organisations in expressing concern about the potential impact on responsible practitioners. The issue demonstrates the importance of ensuring that regulation is proportionate, distinguishes responsible professional practice from fraudulent activity, and recognises appropriately trained practitioners working alongside conventional healthcare.

The ANP will continue to monitor international regulatory developments for potential implications for UK practitioners and advocate for proportionate, evidence-informed regulation.

Self-employed practitioners and tax

The ANP highlighted HMRC’s consultation on proposed changes to Income Tax Self Assessment, including proposals that could move some self-employed taxpayers towards more regular payments.

This was particularly relevant to ANP members, many of whom operate independent practices with variable income, seasonal fluctuations and multiple income streams.

The ANP encouraged members to respond to the consultation and highlighted concerns around cash-flow management, administrative burden and ensuring that future arrangements recognise the realities of self-employed healthcare practitioners.

Looking ahead

The next quarter will be particularly important for the ANP’s policy work on supplements and the UK–EU SPS Agreement, as well as emerging opportunities around neighbourhood health and prevention. The impact of artificial intelligence on practice will be a key theme in Q4.

The organisation will continue to:

• campaign around EU and UK developments affecting supplements and natural health products;
• build parliamentary engagement around the SPS Agreement;
• collect member and MP responses to inform future policy work;
• monitor neighbourhood health trailblazers and identify opportunities for practitioner involvement;
• strengthen engagement with policymakers around prevention and community-based healthcare;
• monitor international regulatory developments affecting natural healthcare;
• keep members informed about developments that could affect their professional practice.

The overarching objective remains to ensure that the voice of appropriately qualified natural healthcare practitioners is heard in policy discussions and that future regulation is proportionate, evidence-based and supportive of safe professional practice.