National Biological Standards Board

The Biological Standards Act (1975) established the National Biological Standards Board. This Board, appointed by the UK health ministers and funded by the Health Department, is responsible for standards and control of biological substances, that is substances whose purity and potency cannot be adequately tested by chemical means, such as hormones, blood products and vaccines. The Board operates through the executive arm, the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control. 

The Biological Standards Act (1975) established the National Biological Standards Board. Appointed by the United Kingdom Health Ministers and... 

In order to quantify vitamin A values for humans within the metric system, therefore, international agencies have now introduced the biological equivalent of 1 microgram (1 meg) of retinol as the standard. In 1967, the FAO/WHO proposed that vitamin A allowances be expressed as the equivalent weight of retinol, and that the use of lU be discontinued. The United Kingdom adopted this change and coined the term Retinol Equivalent (RE). The U.S. Food and Nutrition Board (National Academy of Science, National Research Council) and Canada followed suit. The RE system of measurement takes into account the amount of absorption of the carotenes as well as the degree of conversion to vitamin A hence, it is more precise than the lU system. 

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