22 December 1998: CONTAMINANTS - Draft Commission Directives On Pesticide Residues In Baby Foods And Infant Formulae

Draft Commission Directives On Pesticide Residues In Baby Foods And Infant Formulae

While Member States were broadly in favour of the proposals with the following amendments, the Commission themselves withdrew them for internal consultation, indicating that they would then progress by correspondence or return to the subject at the next Standing Committee meeting in February. The main amendments made are:

• a declaration committing to a 12 month deadline to fill Annexes IX and VIII in proposals for infant formulae and baby foods respectively;
• a slight revision to the recitals to more accurately reflect the views of the EC Scientific Committee for Food;
• a revised Article 6(2) to make it clear that the 0.01 mg/kg limit applies to individual pesticides and to products when reconstituted ready for use;
• a revised Article 6(3) to require that pesticides should not be "present" rather than "used" in agricultural products from which baby foods etc. are made.

The Commission also made it clear that Annex VII in the baby foods proposal would be filled as work under pesticides authorisations Directive 91/414 progresses.