31.8.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC223/23
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDirectiveamendingforthefirsttimeCouncilDirective
88/344/EECof13June1988ontheapproximation ofthelawsoftheMemberStatesrelating
toextractionsolventsusedintheproductionoffoodstuffsandfoodingredients (!)
(92/C223/07
On22January1992theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle100AoftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforProtectionoftheEnvironment ,PublicHealthandConsumerAffairs,which
wasresponsibleforpreparingtheCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon
5May1992.TheRapporteurwasMrGardner.
Atits297thPlenarySession(meetingof26May1992)theEconomicandSocialCommittee
adoptedunanimouslythefollowingOpinion.
2.2.Article1.3 1.Introduction
1.1.Extractionsolventsareneededforpreparinga
largevarietyoffoods,forinstance:
a)extractingresidualfatfromseedswhichisleftafter
pressing;
b)extractingflavouringessencesfromaromaticplants;
c)removingalkaloidsfromcoffeeandtea.
1.2.Veryspecificsolventsaregenerallyneededto
gettherightresult.
1.3.TheexistingDirectivecoveringthesesolvents
requiresre-examination by1991inlinewithadvice
fromtheScientificCommitteeforFood(SCF).The
Commissionhasthuscarriedouthisdutyintimeand
theCommitteeapprovesitsubjecttothefollowing.2.2.1.Thisprovidesforanyfutureamendmentsto
becarriedoutbyanadvisorycommitteeprocedure.
TheCommitteeapprovestheprincipleofacommittee .
Howeveritseemspreferabletochangethattoaregulat­
orycommitteeaswasprovidedforchangesindissolving
anddilutingsolventsbytheFlavouringDirective,88/
388/EEC.
2.2.1.1.Inappropriatecases,wherethepublicneeds
tobeinvolved,appropriatebodiessuchastheCon­
sumers'ConsultativeCommittee (CCC),theAdvisory
CommitteeforFoods,etc.shouldbeconsultedbefore
anydecisionistaken.
2.2.1.2.Alsotoclarifythedevelopmentofanyfur­
thersolvents,thestartofArticle3ashouldbechanged
toread:
'Amendments intheAnnexnecessarytotake
accountofprogressinscientificandtechnicalknow­
ledgeontheuseofsolvents...'
2.Detailedcomments
2.3.Article1.4a)2.1.Article1.1
2.1.1.BydeletingArticle1.2inthebaseDirective,
thiswillprohibittheuseoftrichloroethylene whereit
iscurrentlypermitted,althoughinits1991Opinion,
theSCFspecificallyreserveditsadviceuntil1995.
2.1.2.Trichloroethylene isusedforfatextractionin
placeofhexaneasthelatterishighlyflammable.How­
everimprovements infireprotectionequipmenthave
renderedthisneedlessessentialandtheCommittee
couldaccepttheprohibition,althoughitsuggeststhat
acertainperiodoftimebegiventotheindustryto
permitthenecessaryupdatingoftheequipment (mini­
mum12months).2.3.1.Thelimitationontheuseofacetoneisoutof
placeinthisproposalforthefollowingreasons:
i)ThisproposalisunderArticle100Acoveringfree
tradeandconsumerprotection,notunderArticle43
dealingwiththecommonagriculturalpolicy(CAP).
ii)TheproposalisanamendmentoftheDirective
coveringextractionsolventsandnotsolventsfor
otherusessuchasrefining.
iii)Theprohibitionservesnousefulpurposeasthe
sameresultcanbeachievedusingotherpolarsol­
ventsfromGroupI.
(i)OJNoC11,17.1.1992,p.5. 2.3.2.Thesecondindentthereforeshouldbedeleted

NoC223/24 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 31.8.92
andifthislimitationisdesirable,itshouldbeputinto
theappropriateinstrumentscoveringoliveoil.
2.4.Article1.4b)
2.4.1.Thisseemsacceptableexceptpossiblyforone
point:dichloromethane isusedtogetparticularflavour
extractsfromseveralplantsinparticular :cassiabark,
cinnamonbark,vanillabeansandtonquinbeans.The
annualproductionoftheseisverysmallindeedandthe
resultingdichloromethane residuesinthefoodsupply
wouldbelessthan1:10000ofthosecontributedby
decaffeinatedteaandcoffee.Subjecttoagreementby
theSCF,thesecouldthereforebeauthorizedifused
belowthecurrentlimitofdetectionof50|ig/kginthe
finishedproductasconsumed.2.5.Article1.4c)
2.5.1.AmongthediscontinuedsolventsinPartIIIis
cyclohexane ,andthatbecausetheSCFdidnothave
adequatesafety-in-usetestsavailableintime.TheCom­
mitteeregretsthattheindustrydidnotheedtheSCF
requirementingoodtime.
2.5.2.Thissolventhasaparticularuseinpreparing
averylimitednumberofflavours.TheCommitteehas
beeninformedthatIndustryhasnowagreedatesting
protocolwiththeSCFandtestswillbecarriedoutfor
evaluationbytheSCFduring1992.Permissionforthis
solventthereforeshouldcontinueduring1992with
continuationthereafteronlyiftheresultsofthetests
areacceptabletotheSCF.
DoneatBrussels,26May1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
MichaelGEUENICH
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilRegulation(EEC)layingdownCommunityprocedures
forcontaminantsinfood(1)
(92/C223/08)
On2March1992theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle100AoftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforProtectionoftheEnvironment ,PublicHealthandConsumerAffairs,which
wasresponsibleforpreparingtheCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon
5May1992.TheRapporteurwasMrGardner.
Atits297thPlenarySession(meetingof26May1992)theEconomicandSocialCommittee
unanimouslyadoptedthefollowingOpinion.
1.Introduction
1.1.Contaminants infoodareimpuritiesfromsourc­
esgenerallypresentintheenvironmentwhichgetinto
thefoodbutarenotintentionallyadded.Theyinclude
suchdiverseitemsasheavymetals(lead,copper,etc.),
naturallypresentinthesoil,radio-activityfrommin­
eralsinthesub-soil,mycotoxins,polycyclicaromatic
hydrocarbons (fromsmoke),etc.1.2.Suchcontaminantshavealwaysbeenpresentin
foodthoughtheyarechanginginkind.Thusforwater,
amajorcontamination problemusedtobeleadfrom
pipes.Nowitisconsideredtobenitrates.Furthermore ,
inrecentyears,advancesinanalyticaltechniqueshave
showncontaminantstobepresentwherepreviously
theycouldoftennotbedetected.Theyneedregulation
onlywheretheyarepresentattoxicologically signifi­
cantlevels.Individualcountrieshavedifferentwaysof
dealingwiththese,oftenbasedonhistoricalnational
considerations .GiventheforthcomingMarketwithout
Frontiers,theCommitteethereforeagreesthatharmon­
izationisnecessary. t1)OJNoC57,4.3.1992,p.11.