Foodstuffs, consumers' protection: labelling, presentation and advertising. (codif. Directive 79/112/EEC)

PURPOSE: establishing a list of food ingredients not requiring to be indicated on product labels.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Commission Directive 2005/26/EC establishing a list of food ingredients or substances provisionally excluded from Annex IIIa of Directive 2000/13/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council.

CONTENT: Annex IIIa of Directive 2000/13/EC establishes a list of food ingredients to be indicated on the label as they are likely to cause adverse reactions in susceptible individuals.

In accordance with Directive 2000/13/EC the Commission may provisionally exclude certain ingredients or products of those ingredients from Annex IIIa to that Directive, while food manufacturers or their associations conduct scientific studies to establish that those ingredients or products comply with the conditions for definite exclusion from that Annex.

The Commission received 27 applications regarding 34 ingredients or products thereof, of which 32 fall within the scope of this Directive, and have been submitted to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for a scientific opinion.

Based on the information provided by the applicant, and other information available, the EFSA has considered that certain products of ingredients are not likely, or not very likely, to cause adverse reactions in susceptible individuals.

In certain cases, EFSA has concluded that it cannot draw a firm conclusion, though no reported cases were mentioned.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 23/03/2005.