ADDITIVES - 3rd Amendment to Directive 95/2/EC on Food Additives other than Colours and Sweeteners

You will wish to note the following in the adopted text:

• the inclusion of E 949 hydrogen as a packaging gas in Annex I (a UK request);
• the inclusion of the three propellant gases (E 943a butane, E 943b isobutane, and E 944 propane) in vegetable oil pan sprays and water-based emulsion sprays in Annex IV (a UK request);
• the deletion of a French request in the Commission's original proposal for sodium alginate (E 401) in Annex II for use in prepacked peeled and/or cut unprocessed carrots; and
• the deletion of the proposed addition of E 467 ethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose to the additives in Annex I, pending its re-evaluation by the Scientific Committee on Food.

Member States have eighteen months after the Directive has come into force to implement its provisions into national legislation, but we intend to implement it into UK law as quickly as possible to enable industry and consumers to benefit from the changes. To this end, Food Standards Agency lawyers are drawing up regulations amending the Miscellaneous Food Additives Regulations 1995 (as amended) which we will circulate for comment within the next few weeks.