Foodstuffs :honey

Subject to a number of comments, the Committee approves the Commission's proposals. It believes that they simplify existing directives on the products in question, and make them less prescriptive. The Committee also acknowledges the Commission's concentration on horizontal measures to protect consumers and the environment. The ESC believes that all references to the various additives should be omitted from the draft directives, since they are now regulated by the Directives on additives, sweeteners and colours. Instead, in each directive for foods where additives are permitted, there would be a separate article with a cross-reference to the three additive directives. The Committee considers the proposed implementation dates throughout to be unrealistically short. Given the time required nowadays for finalizing directives and the time taken by Member States for national implementation, they should all be revised. With reference to languages, the Committee points out that in several cases the proposal prescribes product names which are not those used by all consumers in a particular language. Normal consumer usage should be permitted throughout, and the Austrian terms must be added throughout. �