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Dear vital mushroom lovers,


we really need your support:

Coriolus versicolor (also known as turkey tail) has been one of the most popular vital mushrooms on the market for at least two decades. When ground, Coriolus versicolor has a well-balanced spectrum of minerals, trace elements and amino acids, and is also a a source of valuable polysaccharides, typical of fungi. Thanks to its convincing benefits, it has consequently firmly established itself as a food supplement and a flavour-enhancing addition to the daily diet of many health-conscious consumers.

Despite its popularity, distributors of Coriolus versicolor products have repeatedly been accused that the fungus is an alleged so-called novel food that requires approval. Novel foods include foods that were not consumed to a significant degree in the EU before 15 May 1997 and are classified to a precisely defined product group, e.g. mushrooms. There are already numerous references from consumer circles that Coriolus versicolor products as food supplements had been consumed since the early 90s in the EU. Furthermore, Coriolus versicolor products have demonstrably been imported into the EU on a large scale from the USA since the mid-90s and have also been grown in the EU.

Such facts, however, have been ignored or minimized and instead a reference is made to a completely non-binding legal entry of Coriolus versicolor in the EU Novel Food Catalogue, in which it is neither clear how this came into existence at all, let alone based on what (lack of) knowledge. Despite all efforts to encourage the authorities to critically re-examine the entry of Coriolus versicolor in the EU Novel Food Catalogue, taking both existing and submitted evidence into account, so far nothing has happened.

Consequently, the accusation made against distributors of Coriolus versicolor, that an allegedly novel food has been placed on the market, is repeatedly dropped or not pursued. This does not however prevent such reproaches from being taken up again at the next opportunity. This must be stopped now! Even if there is no doubt within the vital mushroom industry that Coriolus versicolor is not a novel food and never was, we want to back this up once again with further facts.

We would be grateful if you would give us 5 minutes of your valuable time and complete the online questionnaire available at www.fnmd.org. Anyone who acquired or consumed Coriolus versicolor before 15 May 1997 or has knowledge of persons and/or companies who imported or acquired Coriolus versicolor for consumption purposes before 15 May 1997 can take part.
Before filling out the questionnaire, please carefully read the following data protection information:

1. The data protection information applies to data processing by the Federation of Nutritional Mushroom Distributors e.V. (FNMD), c/o GERSTBERGER | Products & Law, Maximilianstraße 2, 80539 Munich, E-Mail: info@fnmd.org, Register Court: District Court Munich, Register Number: VR206388, Authorized Representative of the Board: Benjamin Hawlik

2. The sole purpose of our survey is to obtain data on the consumption of Coriolus versicolor mushroom or products made from it in the food sector before 15 May 1997. This information is to be made available to the European Commission and/or national authorities and/or courts in order to change the entry on the status of the mushroom in the EU Novel Food Catalogue or to further secure its lack of novelty. The data will NOT be used for advertising purposes.

3. The processing of your personal data is always based on your consent (Art. 6 (1) lit. a) GDPR, see also No. 8 below). In principle, however, we also have a legitimate interest in the processing of your personal data for the purpose of proving that the vital mushroom Coriolus versicolor or products made from it are no novel food, Art. 6 (1) Sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR.

4. Registration is not required for participation. Participation in this survey is possible without mentioning any personal data like your name and/or email address. However, in order to exclude purely fake entries, we would appreciate it if you could give us your name and address and/or e-mail address.

5. This survey is conducted using software provided by SurveyMonkey Europe UC, 2nd Floor, 2 Shelbourne Buildings, Shelbourne Road, Dublin, Ireland ("SurveyMonkey"). For this purpose, an order data processing agreement was concluded with this company. Further information on data protection at SurveyMonkey can be found here.

6. Before you submit your responses, you will be given the opportunity to review your answers and make any necessary changes.

7. For surveys, the following rights, with respect to the information carrier in accordance with the applicable data protection regulations, apply:
• You have the right to obtain information about the data stored about your person (Art. 15 GDPR).
• Should incorrect personal data be processed, you have the right to correction (Art. 16 GDPR).
• Under certain conditions, you may request the deletion or restriction of the processing and lodge an objection against the processing (Art. 17 to 19 GDPR), the latter in particular insofar as we base the processing of your personal data on a legitimate interest.
• You have a right to data transferability (Art. 20 GDPR).
• There is a right of appeal to the data protection supervisory authority responsible for you (Art. 77 GDPR).

8. You give us your express consent to process your data at the end of the survey (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a) GDPR). You can revoke your consent at any time (Art. 7 para. 3 GDPR). The legality of the data processing carried out based on the consent up to the revocation is not affected by this. After revocation, your personal data will be deleted immediately unless further use is necessary for legitimate reasons.

9. Your personal data collected to carry out the survey will not be stored longer than is necessary for the stated purpose of the survey, however no longer than 1 year.

10. Automated individual decisions do not take place.

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* 1. I have read the data protection information and would like to participate in the survey.

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* 2. Personal data

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* 3. Did you yourself consume Coriolus versicolor before 15 May 1997?

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* 4. How long did you consume Coriolus versicolor before 15 May 1997? (Enter month/year)

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* 5. In what quantities did you consume Coriolus versicolor before 15 May 1997?

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* 6. Over which period did you consume Coriolus versicolor before 15 May 1997? (Month/year to month/year)

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* 7. In which form did you consume Coriolus versicolor before 15 May 1997?

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* 8. How did you acquire Coriolus versicolor before 15 May 1997?

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* 9. Do you remember which manufacturer/distributor offered Coriolus versicolor before 15 May 1997?

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* 10. If you have not purchased and/or consumed Coriolus versicolor yourself before 15 May 1997: when did you become aware of Coriolus versicolor?

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* 11. May we contact you if we have any questions?

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* 12. I expressly agree that the personal data provided here, such as my surname and first name, my address or my e-mail address, may be stored and processed with the purpose to be shared with the European Commission, member state courts and/or authorities for the purpose of substantiating a significant consumption of products containing Coriolus versicolor before 15 May 1997 (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a) GDPR).

Consent is given on a voluntary basis. I have the right at any time to revoke my consent affecting future use and to demand that the Federation of Nutritional Mushroom Distributors (FNMD) eV delete my personal data. To do so, send an e-mail to info@fnmd.org with the necessary details. The revocation of my consent does not affect the legality of the processing carried out up to that point. However, my data may not be further processed after receipt of the declaration of revocation. They must be deleted immediately. This right does not affect the use of anonymised data, i.e. data no longer related to my person, within the scope of the evaluation. The right of deletion is excluded if the personal data collected is used to assert, exercise or defend legal claims (Art. 17 Para. 3 lit. e) GDPR). The FNMD e.V. will keep me informed about the stored personal data.
 

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