Foodlaw-Reading Dr David Jukes, The University of Reading, UK
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Food Law News - EU - 2015

Council Minutes, 18 September 2015

ADDITIVES / CLAIMS / CONTAMINANTS – Council discussion on proposed Commission legislation covering food additives, health claims on foods and maximum levels for contaminants in foods

The following is an extract from the minutes of the Environment Council meeting:

The Council decided not to oppose the adoption of the six following Commission regulations:

• a regulation authorising the use of erythritol (E 968) as a flavour enhancer in flavoured drinks up to a maximum level of 1.6% (11325/15)
• a regulation refusing to authorise certain health claims made on foods and referring to children's development and health (10815/15)
• a regulation refusing to authorise a health claim made on foods, other than those referring to the reduction of disease risk and to children's development and health (10851/15)
• a regulation amending the EU rules on the procedure for authorising recycling processes of plastic material intended to come into contact with foods; the objective is to bring the rules in line with the current comitology rules (10816/15)
• a regulation amending regulation 1881/2006 as regards maximum levels of ergot sclerotia in certain unprocessed cereals and the provisions on monitoring and reporting (10817/15)
• a regulation mending regulation 1881/2006 as regards maximum levels for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in cocoa fibre, banana chips, food supplements, dried herbs and dried spices (10949/15).

The Commission regulations are subject to the so-called regulatory procedure with scrutiny. This means that now that the Council has given its consent, the Commission may adopt them, unless the European Parliament objects.