. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/EEC/277 
13 December 2005 
 (05-5913) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
 
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
 
If applicable, name of local government involved:        
2. Agency responsible:  Commission of the European Co mmunities. Health & Consumer 
Protection Directorate-General  Directorate D – Food Safety: production and distribution chain  
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):  Chemically defined flavouring substances for use in foodstuffs (ICS 
67.220.20, Spices and condiments)  and foodstuffs containing it  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected , to the extent relevant or practicable:  
Member States of the European Communiti es (EC) and third countries exporting the 
products concerned to the EC.  
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  Draft Commission 
Decision amending Commission Decision 1999/217/EC adopting a register of flavouring 
substances used in or on foods (SANCO/2005/3368, 4 pages)  
6. Description of content:  Subsequent to the evaluation programme set by Commission 
Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000 of 18 July 2000 la ying down the measures necessary for the 
adoption of an evaluation programme in applicat ion of Regulation (EC) No 2232/96 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council  the following substances do not comply with the 
general criteria for the use of flavouri ng substances set out in the Annex to Regulation (EC) 
No 2232/96 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 October 1996 laying down a 
Community procedure for flavouring substances us ed or intended for use in or on foodstuffs . 
- Acetamide (FL 16.047). 
As a consequence, it should be deleted fr om the register of allowed substances. 
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       
8. Nature of the urgent problem(s) and reasons for urgent action:  Acetamide (FL 16.047) 
is considered by JECFA in its 65th meeting as inappropriate for use as a flavouring because 
it is clearly carcinogenic in both mice and rat, and although the mechanism of tumor formation  is unknown, the possibility of a genot oxic mechanism can not be discounted. G/SPS/N/EEC/277 
Page 2  
 
 9. International standard, guideline or recommendation: 
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission,  [   ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE), [   ] International Plant Protection Convention,  [ X ] None If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:  Sixty fifth meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO 
Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).  
10. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  European 
Commission Document SANCO/2005/3368, dd/mm/2005, (Available in English, translations under preparation). When a dopted it will be published at the Official Journal 
available at:  http://europa.eu.int/eur-l ex/lex/JOYear.do?year=2005
. 
11. Date of entry into force/period of application (as applicable):  December  2005  
12. Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [ X ] EC notification authority,  
[   ] National enquiry point, or address,  fax number 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: