NoC108/26 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 19.4.93
Thefollowingmembers,presentorrepresented,votedfortheproposedamendment (Counter-Opinion ):
Mr/Mrs:ARENA,ASPINALL,BAGLIANO ,BEALE,BELL,BELTRAMI ,BERNABEI,BLACK,BREDIMA­
SAVOPOULOU ,CEYRAC,CHEVALIER ,CONNELLAN ,DELOROZOY ,DONCK,FRERICHS,GAFO
FERNANDEZ ,GARDNER,GERMOZZI ,GHIGONIS ,GIACOMELLI ,GIESECKE,GREEN,GUILLAU­
ME,KAARIS,KAFKA,KAZAZIS,LAUR,LITTLE,LOW,LYONS,MERCEJUSTE,MEYER-HORN ,
MOBBS,MORIZE,NOORDWAL ,OVIDEETIENNE,PANEROFLOREZ,PARDON,PEARSON,PEL­
LETIERCh.,PELLETIERR.,PERRIN-PELLETIER ,PETERSEN,PRICOLO,PROUMENS ,ROBINSON ,
ROMOLI,SAUWENS,SCHADE-POULSEN ,SCHLEYER,SCHNIEDERS ,SOLARI,STECHERNAVAR­
RA,TESOROOLIVER,WHITWORTH ,WICK.
Thefollowingmembers,presentorrepresented,votedagainsttheproposedamendment (Counter-Opinion ):
Mr/Mrs/Miss:ABEJONRESA,AMATO,BLESER,BOISSEREE,BORDES-PAGES ,BRIESCH,CAL,CAR­
ROLL,CASSINA,CEBALLOHERRERO,CHRISTIE,COLOMBO ,DECAILLON ,vonderDECKEN,
DIAPOULIS ,vanDIJK,DOUVIS,DRAIJER,DRILLEAUD ,DUNKEL,ELSTNER,ENGELEN-KEFER ,
ETTY,EULEN,FLUM,FORGASICABRERA,FRANDI,FREEMAN,GEUENICH ,GIATRAS,GOMEZ
MARTINEZ ,GREDAL,GROBEN,HAGEN,HILKENS,JANSSEN,JENKINS,deKNEGT,KORFIATIS ,
LACAMARTIN,LAPPAS,LARSEN,LIVERANI,LUSTENHOUWER ,MADDOCKS ,MANTOVANI ,
MARGALEF MASIA,MASUCCI,MAYAYOBELLO,MERCIER,MOLINAVALLEJO,MORELAND ,
MORRIS,MOURGUES ,MUÑIZGUARDADO ,NIELSENB.,NIELSENP.,NIERHAUS,PELLARINI,
PETROPOULOS ,PIETTE,POMPEN,QUEVEDOROJO,RANGONIMACHIAVELLI,REA,ROSEIN­
GRAVE,SANTIAGO ,SANTILLAN CABEZA,SANTOS,SCHMIDT,SCHMITZ,vonSCHWERIN ,
SEQUEIRA,SILVA,SMITH,SPYROUDIS ,STRAUSS,TIXIER,VELASCOMANCEBO,VERBOVEN ,
WAGENMANS ,WALDACK ,ZUFIAURNARVAIZA .
Thefollowingmembers,presentorrepresented,abstainedinthevote:
Mr:ATAÍDEFERREIRA ,BERNS,PAVLOPOULOS .
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDirectiveonfoodadditivesotherthancoloursand
sweeteners
93/C108/07
On3July1992,theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle100aoftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforProtectionoftheEnvironment ,PublicHealthandConsumerAffairs,which
wasresponsibleforpreparingtheCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon
2February1993.TheRapporteurwasMrHilkens.
Atits303rdPlenarySession(meetingof24February1993),theEconomicandSocial
CommitteeadoptedthefollowingOpinionbyamajorityvote(with13votesagainstand
4abstentions).
theScientificCommitteeforFoodmustbeobtained
beforeanyadditivecanbeauthorized.1.Introductorycomments
1.1.TheCommissionproposalisdesignedtoflesh
outtheprovisionsoftheFrameworkDirectiveonthe
approximation ofthelawsoftheMemberStatescon­
cerningfoodadditivesauthorizedforuseinfoodstuffs
intendedforhumanconsumption (Directive89/107/
EEC).
1.2.TheFrameworkDirectivespecifiesthepermit­
tedcategoriesoffoodadditives.Theprincipleof
approvedlistsofadditivesisapplied.Theopinionof1.3.Article3oftheFrameworkDirectivestatesthat
particularprovisionscoveringthepermitteduseofthe
additivecategorieslistedinitsAnnexaretobelaid
downinacomprehensive Directive.Thiswillalso
incorporateexistingspecificverticalDirectives.

19.4.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC108/27
1.4.InadditiontoitsproposedDirectivesoncolours
andsweeteners,theCommissionhasnowpresented
aproposalcoveringallotheradditivesexceptflour
treatmentagents,onwhichtheScientificCommittee
forFoodhasstilltodeliveranopinion.
1.5.ThedraftDirectiveonfoodadditivesotherthan
coloursandsweetenersstipulatesthatonlytheadditives
listedinitsAnnexesmaybeauthorizedforusein
foodstuffs .theScientificCommittee .Thiswillensurethatthe
policycontinuestobebasedonthemostrecentscien­
tificfindings.
2.4.1.Here,theCommitteewouldagaindrawatten­
tiontothekeyroleassignedtotheScientificCommittee
inthiscontext.Ahighlevelofscientificexpertiseand
thecompleteindependenceofitsmembersmustthere­
forebereflectedinthisCommittee'scompositionand
activities.
2.5.TheCommitteewouldasktheCommissionto
includeanarticlestipulatingthatonlyadditiveswhich
satisfytheScientificCommittee'sspecificationsmaybe
usedinfoodstuffs.Italsocallsfortheinclusionofa
provisiontotheeffectthattheScientificCommittee
guaranteesthatitsspecificationsarebasedexclusively
onthetestedspecimen.
2.6.Iftheacceptabledailyintake(ADI)isbasedon
aspecifictest-specimenquantity,theCommitteecalls
foraccounttobetakenoftheamountofactivesubstan­
ceinthetestspecimenindeterminingmaximumcon­
centrations .1.6.Inadditiontoalistofgenerallypermittedfood
additives(AnnexI),towhichthe'quantumsatis'prin­
cipleapplies,separateAnnexesdetailadditiveswhich
maybeusedinspecificproductsinspecificquantities.
2.Generalcomments
2.1.TheCommitteewelcomestheCommission's
decisiontobaseitsproposalonapositivelistofsub­
stancesforuseasfoodadditivestotheexclusionofall
others.TheFrameworkDirectiveonfoodadditives
providesforthisapproach.2.7.TheCommitteenotesthat,underthetermsof
thedraftDirective,theStandingCommitteeforFood­
stuffsisaCommissionadvisorycommittee.TheCom­
missionisaskedtoformulatetheStandingCommittee's
tasks,whicharesetoutinArticle5,insuchawayas
toensurethattheydonotgobeyondthescopeofthe
Directive,includingtheAnnexes.
2.8.Inviewoftheextremelyimportantroleassigned
totheScientificCommitteeforFoodinthedevelopment
offoodpolicy,theCommitteeurgestheCommission
topromotethewidespreadpublicationofitsopinions
inthedifferentCommunitylanguages.
2.9.The1January1993deadlineproposedforthe
implementation ofthisDirectiveisunrealistic.2.2.TheCommitteealsoendorsesthepolicytobe
adoptedwithregardtotheauthorizationofadditives,
assetoutinArticle2.Thismeans,ineffect,thatonly
specificadditivesmaybeauthorizedforuseincertain
foodcategoriesandthatquantitativerestrictionsmay
beimposedwhereappropriate .
3.SpecificcommentsontheArticles2.3.TheCommitteecanacceptthe'quantumsatis'
principleandagreeswiththeCommissionastothe
importanceofitscorrectapplication .Itstronglyurges
theCommissiontoincludeinthebodyoftheDirective
thedefinitionof'quantumsatis'givenintheAnnex;
thisstatesthatthesefoodadditivesshouldbeused
accordingtogoodmanufacturing practiceatalevelnot
higherthanisnecessarytoachievetheintendedpur­
pose,andprovidedtheydonotmisleadtheconsumer.3.1.Article1(2)
3.1.1.Foamingagentsarenotlistedasacategoryin
AnnexItotheFrameworkDirective.TheCommittee
wouldasktheCommissiontotakestepstoprevent
problemsinconnectionwiththeauthorizationofthis
category. 2.4.TheCommitteestartsfromthepremisethatthe
additiveslistedintheAnnexeshavebeenpronounced
safeforuseinfoodstuffsbytheScientificCommittee
forFood.ItaskstheCommissiontocontinuethepolicy
ofauthorizingonlythoseadditivesthatarejudgedtobe
toxicologically acceptablebytheScientificCommittee .
Approvedadditiveswhicharesubsequentlyfoundto
possessnegativepropertiesshouldbere-evaluatedby3.2.Article1(4)
a)Preservativesaresometimesaddedtobottleddrink­
ing-watertoextenditsshelf-life.Thesearedifferent

NoC108/28 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 19.4.93
foodstuffs'withtheadditivesbeinglistedseparatelyin
eachindividualcase:fromthosesubstancesusedintheproductionof
drinking-water .TheCommitteeurgestheCom­
missiontoregulatetheuseofthesepreservativesin
thepresentDirective. —quick-cooking rice E471:10g/kg
E472a:10g/kg
unprocessedfrozen
anddeep-frozenvegetables
unprocessedfrozen
anddeep-frozenfruitsE300:QS
E301:QS
E302:QS
E330:QS
E331:QS
E332:QS
E333:QSb)Ammoniumchlorideisaflavouringwhichiscon­
sideredtobeanadditiveinsomeMemberStates.It
ismentionedinArticle1inordertopreventprob­
lemswhentheDirectiveentersintoforce.Forthe
samereason,theCommitteecallsfortheinclusion
ofcasein,caseinatesandsmokeinArticle1,since
thesesubstancesarealsoregardedasadditivesin
somecountries. —deep-frozenfish E300:QS
E301:QS
E302:QS
3.3.Article2—frozencrustaceansandmolluscs
E300—301—302 Ascorbates
QSor750mg/kg
E330—331—332—333Citrates
QSor3000mg/kg
E500a—500b—501a—501bCarbonates
QSor5000mg/kg
E530 Magnesiumoxide
QSor500mg/kg
—squidforfrying E526
Calcium
hydroxide3.3.1.TheCommitteewelcomesthefactthatfood­
stuffsinwhichnoadditivesmaybeusedarelistedin
Article2(3)(a).Itisparticularlypleasedattheinclusion
ofunprocessedfoodstuffs.TheCommitteethinksthat
inclusionofthefollowingproductsshouldalsobecon­
sidered:
—ordinaryyoghurt(ifitcontainslivebacteria)and
buttermilk .A1991Commission memostatedthat
MemberStatescouldprohibitthedesignation
'yoghurt'oranyotherdesignationbasedonthe
word'yoghurt'inrespectofproductsthatdonot
containlivebacteria.Thishasgivenrisetonational
differenceswithregardtothelegalrequirements
applicabletoproductsdesignatedas'yoghurt'.The
Commission isaskedtotakeaccountofthosediffer­
encesandtoincludeyoghurtcontaininglivebacteria
inArticle2(3)(a),
—pap,e.g.rice-pudding-type productsconsisting
exclusivelyofmilkandcereals;thiscategorydoes
notcoverproductstowhichsugarisadded,
—drypasta,
—cannedandbottledvegetables,excludingproducts
thatarephysicallytransformedandproductslisted
inAnnexesIIIandIV.Physicallytransformedmeans
peeled,sliced,etc.,
—non-blendedanddryherbsandspices;exceptions
canbeindicatedinotherAnnexes.500mg/kg
3.4.PriortothereviewprovidedforinArticle8of
theconditionsofusementionedintheDirective,the
Commissionisurgedtodrawupareportondevelop­
mentsduringtheperiodinquestion,highlightingthe
problemsencountered .Thisreportshouldalsobetrans­
mittedtotheEuropeanParliamentandtheEconomic
andSocialCommittee .
4.SpecificcommentsontheAnnexes
4.1.AnnexI
4.1.1.Withoneexception,theCommitteeendorses
thescopeofAnnexIandthe'quantumsatis'principle
appliedtothesesubstances.
4.1.2.Insomecountries,consumersandscientific
circles(*)areconcernedaboutglutamates,sincethere
areindicationsthathighdosesofthesesubstancescan
produceundesirableeffects.TheCommissionisthere­
forerequestednottoauthorizetheuseofglutamates
inaccordancewiththe'quantumsatis'principlebut
tolaydownmaximumquantitiesforuseinspecific
products.
(i)Seethefollowingscientificpublications :
1.'Voedselovergevoeligheid :eeninventariserend enbeleids­
onderbouwend literatuuronderzoek '—DutchMinistryof
Welfare,HealthandCulturalAffairs,(Health,Rijswijk1990,
P.45);3.3.2.SomeoftheadditiveslistedinAnnexIare
technologically indispensableincertain'unprocessed
foodstuffs'andshouldthereforebemadeexceptions.
TheCommitteeaskstheCommissiontopermituseof
thefollowingadditivesinthefollowing'unprocessed2.'Monosodiumglutamate'—FoodTechnology (May1987,
pp.143etseq.).

19.4.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC108/29
4.2.Annex11
4.2.1.LimiteduseoftheAnnexIadditivesispermit­
tedinthefoodstuffslistedinAnnexII.Inallother
foodstuffs,themorethan100additivesmentionedin
AnnexImaybeusedinaccordancewiththe'quantum
satis'principle.Theuseofadditivesinbasicfoodstuffs
isregulatedandrestrictedbylawinmostMember
States.TheCommitteenotesthatthedraftDirective
wouldincreasethenumberofadditivesauthorizedfor
useinmostbasicfoodstuffsinthemajorityofMember
States.
4.2.1.1.TheCommitteewouldpointoutthat,tra­
ditionally,theconsumerhascertainexpectationswith
regardtobasicfoodstuffs.ItthereforeurgestheCom­
missiontoreviseitspositionwithregardtotheauthor­
izationofAnnexIadditivesinbasicfoodstuffs.This
couldbedonebyincludinginAnnexIIproductswhich
areregardedasbasicfoodstuffsinoneormoreMember
States.Examplesofsuchproductsare:
—meatproducts,
—cheese,cheesespreadsandcurds,
—breadandsimilarproducts,
—processedandpreservedvegetables,
—processedandpreservedfruit,
—potatoproducts,
—beerandwine,
—dairyproducts,notcoveredbyArticle2(3),
—oilsandfats,
—fatemulsions,suchasmargarine,
—eggproducts,
—tomatopureeandtomato-basedproducts,
—fruitdesserts.
4.2.2.AnnexIIrepresentsacompilationofexisting
verticalDirectives.Someindustrialsectorsaresatisfied
withthecurrentpositionconcerninguseoftheadditives
listedintheverticalDirectivecoveringtheirproduct.
Othersectorscallfortheadoptionofhorizontallegis­
lationonadditiveusetobetakenasanopportunityfor
adaptingtheexistingverticalDirectiveswithregardto
suchuse.TheDirectiveonchocolateandchocolate
productsisacaseinpoint.TheCommitteeasksthe
CommissiontoadapttheseverticalDirectiveswhere
thisisconsidereddesirable.bewithdrawnonlywiththeconsentoftheMember
Statewhichgrantedthatauthorization .Thetechnologi­
calneedfortheexistinguseofadditivesisassumedtobe
anestablishedfact.Nationaldifferences(e.g.climate,
productionmethods)maysometimesnecessitatetheuse
ofaparticularadditiveinafoodstuffinoneMember
State,butnotinanother.TheCommissionisurgedto
makeeveryefforttoensurethatMemberStatesarenot
requiredtoapprovetheuseofadditiveswhichthey
themselveshaveneverconsiderednecessary.TheCom­
mitteerequeststhatthisbedonebypreciselydefining
productswhichmaycontainagivenadditivewithina
foodstuffscategory.
4.3.1.1.ItthereforewelcomesthefactthattheCom­
missionhasalreadyadoptedthisapproachinrespect
ofanumberofproducts.Carefulregulationofthis
matterisimportant,especiallyasadditiveusecanalter
theidentityofbasicfoodstuffs.
4.3.1.2.AdifferentapproachwhichtheCommission
mightliketoconsiderwouldbetoformulateamore
restrictiveauthorizationpolicy,withafive-yeartran­
sitionalperiodforMemberStateswhichcannotensure
immediateimplementation .TheCommitteewouldlike
tohearfromtheCommissionwhetherthiswouldbe
possibleincertaincases.Thereviewoftheproposed
DirectivelaiddowninArticle8involvesnosuchpro­
vision.
4.3.2.SomeoftheproposalsmadeinAnnexIIIare
basedonexistingauthorizations inoneormoreMem­
berStates.TheCommitteecallsontheCommissionto
definethecategoryconcernedinthesecasesinsucha
wayastocoveronlyproductsinwhichuseofthe
additiveinquestionisauthorizedbyexistingnational
legislation.OnthebasisofthisapproachtheCom­
missionisrequestedtodefinethefollowingfoodstuffs
categoriesmorepreciselyintheproposal:
—Meatproducts,cookedorcuredordried,surface
treatmentonly
Additive:sorbicacid
—Milk,heat-treated,fermented
Additive:sorbicacid
—Dairy-baseddesserts
Additives:sorbic+benzoicacids
—Prepackedslicedbread
Additive:sorbicacid.
4.3.3.TheCommitteenotesthattheCommission
proposalonwineconfinesitselftoareferencetothe
corresponding verticalDirectiveonthatproduct.It
thinksthattheS02levelauthorizedinwineneeds
tobedefinedinthepresenthorizontalDirectiveon
additives.
4.3.4.TheCommitteeaskstheCommission to
restricttheauthorizationofnisinincheesetotypes4.3.AnnexIII
4.3.1.TheCommissionhasinformedtheCommittee
thatanexistingauthorizationcoveringadditiveusecan

NoC108/30 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 19.4.93
inwhichtheuseofthissubstanceistechnologically
indispensable .Inthisconnection,itwouldpointout
thatnisinuseiscurrentlyprohibitedinordinarycheese
incertainMemberStates.Ontheotherhand,theCom­
mitteehasnoobjectiontoitsuseinprocessedcheese.
4.3.5.MaximumpermittedquantitiesofBHAand
BHTshouldalwaysberelatedtothefatcontentofthe
foodstuffinquestion.Thesesubstancesareauthorized
inonlyalimitednumberofMemberStatesandthe
Committeecallsforanexaminationofthepossible
restrictionoftheiruseafteratransitionalperiod.
4.4.AnnexIV
4.4.1.Theadditionofphosphatestosterilizedand
Ultra-HighTemperature (UHT)milkisprimarily
intendedtocompensateforthevariablequalityofthe
basicsubstance.TheCommitteesuggeststhatMember
Stateswhichfinditnecessarytoadoptthispractice
shouldbeallowedafive-yeartransitionalperiodin
whichtoimprovethequalityofthebasicsubstance.
4.4.2.Polyphosphates areusedaswater-retentive
agents,forexampleinmeatproducts.TheCommission
isaskedtoreconsidertheclassification ofthesesub­
stancesas'Otherprocessedfoodstuffs'.4.4.3.TheCommitteeproposesthattheuseofethy­
lenediaminetetroacetic acid(EDTA)inthevegetables
categoryberestrictedtowhitevegetables.
4.4.4.Inthecaseofcarrageenin,theCommitteeasks
forthe'Otherfoodstuffs'categorytobespecified.
4.4.5.AccordingtotheScientificCommittee,sorbi­
tolandcertainsimilarsubstancescancauseproblems
amongindividualswhoaresensitivetosuchsubstances
iftheyconsumeaslittleas20grams.CertainMember
Statesthereforecontroltheuseofthissubstance.The
Commissionisaskedtobepreciseaboutitsuseother
thanasasweetener,sinceitsuseasabulkingagentcan
leadtotheingestionofconsiderableamounts.
4.4.6.TheCommitteerecommendsthattheauthor­
izationofsweetenersinquantitieswhichareconsidered
toproduceasweeteningeffectshouldberegulated
inthesweetenersDirective.Itthereforethinksthat
authorizationoftheproposedamountofNeohesperidi­
neDCshouldbecoveredbythatDirective.
4.5.AnnexesVandVI
4.5.1.TheCommitteewelcomesthestrictapproach
adoptedwithregardtofoodadditivespermittedin
infantformula,follow-onformulaandweaningfoods.
DoneatBrussels,24February1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN