COMMISSION REGUL ATION (EU) No 969/2014 
of 12 September 2014 
amending Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council as regards the use of Calcium ascorbate (E 302) and Sodium alginate (E 401) in certain 
unprocessed fruit and vegetabl es 
(Text with EEA relevance) 
THE EUR OPEAN COMMISSION, 
Having regar d to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, 
Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 
on food additives (1), and in particular Article 10(3) thereof, 
Whereas: 
(1)  Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 lays down a Union list of food additives appro ved for use in foods 
and their conditions of use. 
(2)  The Union list of food additives may be update d in accordance with the common procedure refer rred to in 
Article 3(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1331/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2) either on the 
initiative of the Commission or following an application. 
(3)  An application for author isation of the use of Calcium ascorbat e (E 302) and Sodium alginat e (E 401) as glazing 
agents in certain prepac ked refrigerat ed unprocessed fruit and vegeta bles ready for consum ption was submitted 
on 12 November 2012 and was made available to the Member States pursuant to Article 4 of Regulation (EC) 
No 1331/2008. 
(4)  There is an increasing demand for fresh-cut fruit and vegetables, mainly because of their convenience as ready-to- 
eat products as well as for the health benefi ts associated with their consum ption. 
(5)  Prepac ked refrigerat ed unprocessed fruit and vegetables ready for consump tion are fresh fruit and veget ables 
whic h are washed before being peeled and/or cut and/or stalk remo ved, pack ed and kept cold by refrigera tion. 
Some fruit and vegetables' constituents are suscept ible to degradation when exposed to oxygen or light, to whic h 
the interior of the fruit and vegetables is exposed by peeling and/or cutting and/or having their stalk remo ved. 
Wounding of fruit and vegetables' tissues induces a number of physiological disorders such as oxidation, 
browning, etc. that decreases the nutr itional quality of those foods and needs to be minimised. 
(6)  There is a technological need for the use of Calcium ascorbate (E 302) and Sodium alginat e (E 401) in certain 
prepac ked refrigerated unpro cessed fruit and vegetables ready for consump tion. Those additives are used in 
combination to form an edible gel which is then applied to the surface of the fruit and veget ables providing a 
prot ective thin-coating, acting as a physical barrier to oxygen and moisture, reducing exudation and surface 
drying of those fruit and vegetables. As a result, physiological degradation reactions are reduced thus helping 
preser ving the nutr itional quality of the fruit and vegetables. Theref ore, the gel allows a bette r and long er preser ­
vation of those fruit and vegetables. 
(7)  The use of Calcium ascorbat e (E 302) and Sodium alginat e (E 401) as glazing agents would help enhancing the 
keeping quality of the prepac ked, refrigerated unpro cessed fruit and vegetables ready for consum ption during 
their shelf-life and thus facilitating the availability and increasing the access to market of ready-to-eat fresh-cut 
fruit and veget ables. 
(8)  Calcium ascorbat e (E 302) and Sodium alginate (E 401) belong to the group of additives for whic h no acceptable 
daily intake has been specif ied (3). This imp lies that they do not represent a hazard to health at the levels neces ­
sary to achi eve the desired technological effect. 13.9.2014 L 272/8 Official Jour nal of the European Union EN     
(1)OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 16. 
(2)Regulation (EC) No 1331/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 establishing a common author isa­
tion procedure for food additives, food enzymes and food flavourings (OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 1). 
(3)Repor t from the Commission on Dietar y Food Additive Intake in the European Union, COM(2001) 542 final. (9) Pursuant to Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1331/2008, the Commission is to seek the opinion of the Euro ­
pean Food Safety Author ity in order to updat e the Union list of food additives set out in Annex II to Regulation 
(EC) No 1333/2008, excep t where the update in question is not liable to have an effect on human health. Since 
the author isation of use of Calcium ascorbate (E 302) and Sodium alginat e (E 401) as glazing agents in prepac ked 
refrigerated unprocessed fruit and vege tables ready for consum ption constitut es an update of the aforementioned 
list whic h is not liable to have an effect on human health, it is not necessar y to seek the opinion of the European 
Food Safety Auth ority. 
(10)  According to Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, the use of Calcium ascorbat e (E 302) is already 
author ised for ‘only prepac ked refrigerated unpro cessed fruit and vege tables ready for consump tion and 
prepac ked unprocessed and peeled potatoe s’ under the food catego ry 04.1.2 ‘Peeled, cut and shredded fruit and 
vege tables’. 
(11)  Theref ore, it is appropr iate to author ise the use of Sodium alginat e (E 401) as glazing agent in the food 
catego ry 04.1.2 ‘Peeled, cut and shredded fruit and vegetables’ in Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, at 
the maximum level of 2 400 mg/kg, and only in combination with Calcium ascorbat e (E 302) at the maximum 
level of 800 mg/kg in order to form an edible gel. 
(12)  Follo wing the above, Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 should be amended according ly. 
(13)  The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committ ee on 
the Food Chain and Animal Health, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGUL ATION: 
Article 1 
Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 is amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation. 
Article 2 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the 
European Union. 
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member State s. 
Done at Brussels, 12 September 2014. 
For the Commission 
The Presid ent 
José Manuel BARR OSO  13.9.2014 L 272/9 Official Jour nal of the European Union EN     ANNEX 
In Part E of Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 the following entr y is inser ted in the food cate gory 04.1.2 ‘Peeled, cut and shredded fruit and vegetables’ after the entr y for food 
additive E 333:  
‘E 401 Sodium alginat e 2 400 (82) only prepack ed refrigerated unpro cessed fruit 
and vegetables ready for consum ption, to be 
sold to the final consumer 
(82): May only be used in combination with E 302 as glazing agents and with a maximum level of 800 mg/kg of E 302 in the final food.’   13.9.2014 L 272/10 Official Jour nal of the European Union EN