. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/EEC/233
26 January 2004
(04-0271)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
If applicable, name of local government involved:
2. Agency responsible:   Commission of the European Communities. Health & Consumer
Protection Directorate-General  Directorate E – Food Safety: Plant Health, Animal Health
and Welfare, International questions
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where
applicable):  Food additives other than colours and sweeteners (ICS 67.220.20)
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:
Member States of the European Communities (EC) and third countries exporting the
products concerned to the EC.
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:   Draft Commission
Directive 2003/.../EC amending Directive 96/77/EC laying down specific purity criteria on
food additives other than colours and sweeteners (SANCO/5348/2003, 15 pages)
6. Description of content:  This draft sets the technical specifications for a number of food
additives currently covered by EP and Council Directive 95/2/EC.
7. Objective and rationale:  [ X ] food safety, [   ] animal health, [   ] plant protection,
[   ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or  disease, [   ] protect territory from other
damage from pests:   Adoption of the purity criteria which will then become of a mandatory
nature
8. International standard, gu ideline or recommendation:
[ X ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [   ] World Organization for Animal Health,
[   ] International Plant Prot ection Convention, [   ] None
If an international standard , guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:   Where they exist, the draft is based on the
specifications established by internati onal bodies (JECFA (Joint FAO/WHO Expert
Committee on Food Additives)).  In other cases, they have been prepared on the basis of the
technical and safety data available.
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  European
Commission Document (Doc SANCO/5348/2003, available in all Community languages).
When adopted it will be published at the Official Journal available at:  .
10. Proposed date of adoption:   April 2004
11. Proposed date of entry into force:   20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the
European UnionG/SPS/N/EEC/233
Page 2
12. Final date for comments:  Sixty (60) days after the date of notification
Agency or authority designated to handle co mments:  [ X ] EC notification authority,
[   ] EC enquiry point, or address, fax num ber and E-mail address (if available) of other
body:
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National notification authority, [ X ] EC enquiry point, or
address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
The Opinion of the Scientific committee on Food about the additives is available at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/scf/outcome_en.html
The outcome of the evaluation of additives made by the Scientific Committee on food on
carrageenan (expressed on 5 March 2003) is available at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/scf/out164_en.pdf