ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(80)416
Vol.1980/0148

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(80)416 final
Brussels,18July1980
/?.'yFr«nr)V\
L:i3]?i535npn»j
V"\~~7
Proposalfora
COUNCILDIRECTIVE
amendingforthefifteenthtimeDirective64/54/EEConthe
approximation ofthelawsoftheMemberStatesconcerning
thepreservatives foruseinfoodstuffsintendedforhuman
consumption
(submittedtotheCouncilbytheCommission )
C0M(80)416final

EXPLANATORY NOTE
1,Liquidsmokesolutions
TheDirectiveonPreservatives 1foruseinfoodstuffsauthorizes
MemberStatestousesocalled"liquidsmokesolutions"infooduntil
231DecemberI960•Thesematerialsaremanufactured "byvarious
technological procedures,"butareprincipally aqueoussolutionsof
smokeconstituents isolatedfrom"smoke"andsometimesadsorbedontoa
solidsupport.Opinionsvaryastowhetherthesematerialsexertany
demonstrable preservativeeffectinfoodstuffsalthoughitalready
appearsclearthatusersofthesematerialsareprimarilyinterested
intheirflavouringpotential.TheCommission,inassociationwith
expertsoftheCouncilofEurope'sCommitteeonflavourings,has
undertakenthenecessaryinvestigation tomoreclearlydefinetheir
technological function(i.e.toconfirmwhetherinfacttheirprinciple
functionisasaflavouringagentandthatthepreservative effect
isofsecondaryimportance),andontheirsafetyinuse.
Itisalreadyevidentthatduetothecomplexityoftheinvestigations
itwillnotbepossibletomakeadefinitiveproposalbeforetheexpiry
date(i.e.31December1980)ofthepresenttemporaryprovisionsin
theDirective.ForthisreasontheCommissionproposestomodify
Article3oftheDirectiveonPreservatives insuchawayastomaintain
forafurtherperiodtheexistingprovisionsintheDirectivewhich
enableMemberStatestoauthorizetheuseofliquidsmokesolutionson
theirterritories.TheCommissionbelievesthatafurtherproposal
couldbeformulatedifnecessaryonthebasisoftheinvestigations
withineighteenmonthstotwoyearsandArticle2oftheproposal
requiresthatthetemporaryauthorization bereviewedwithinthreeyears.
Itisanticipatedthattheextraperiodprovidedwillbenecessaryif
theEuropeanParliament,EconomicandSocialCommitteeandScientific
CommitteeforFoodaretobeconsultedearlyenoughtoallowa
comprehensive discussionoftheproblemsinthesebodies.
2«Smoking
1
Theauthorization intheMemberStatesof"traditional smokinghasbeen
amatterlefttothecompetentnationalauthoritessincetheadoption
■^OJNo12,27.1.1964,p.161/64
20JNoL44.15.2.1978,p.23

-2-
of"theDirectiveIn1962.Recentlyithasbeensuggestedthatthe
Commissionshouldalsostudythisprocess,"bothfromthepointofview
ofitssafety–in-useanditstechnological efficacity aBapreservation
orflavouringprocess.Theproposalrequiresthatthisquestionalso
bestudiedduringthejsameperiodofthreeyears.
3.TheDirectiveonPreservatives foruseinfoodstuffsalsopermits
MemberStatestomaintainprovisionsoftheirnationallawsrelating
totheuseofformaldehyde inGranaPadanocheeseprovidedthatwhen
thefinalproductismarketedthelevelofformaldehyde ,freeand/or
combinedshallnotexceed0.3mg/kg.TheCommissionisawarethatas
anumberoffurtherscientificinvestigations isunderwayandtherefore
believesittobeprematuretoproposeanamendmenttotheDirective
atthispointintime.
Underthesecircumstances underthetermsoftheDirectivethederogation
remainsinforce.

ProposalforaCouncilDirectiveamendingforthefifteenthtimeDirective
64/54/EEContheapproximation ofthelawsoftheMemberStatesconcerning
thepreservatives authorizedforuseinfoodstuffsintendedforhuman
consumption
THECOUNCILOPTHEEUROPEANCOMMUNITIES ,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishing theEuropeanEconomioCommunity,
andinparticularArticle100thereof,
HavingregardtotheproposalfromtheCommission'",
2HavingregardtotheopinionoftheEuropeanParliament ,
HavingregardtotheopinionoftheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
LWhereasArticle3ofCouncilDirective64/54/EEC,aslastamendedby
Directive79/40/EEC"',requiresthatMemberStatesshallauthorizethe
smokingofcertainfoodstufifsonlyinsmokeproducedfromwoodorwoody
plantsinthenaturalstateandthatsuchsmokingshouldnotcreateany
risktohumanhealth;
WhereasArticle5ofDirective64/54/EEC,asamendedforthethirteenth
timebyDirective78/145/EEC^,permitsMemberStatestoauthorizeuntil
31December1980theuseofliquidsmokesolutions;
Whereasliquidsmokesolutionsareusedprimarilyfortheirflavouring
properties;whereastheymayhaveasubsidiarypreservativeproperty;
1 ..
2
3
40JNo12,27.1.1964,p.161/64
50JNoL13,19.1.1979.P.50
60JNoL44,15.2.1978,p.23

Whereas investigations aretaking place inseveral Member States onthe
toxioological acceptability andontheprecise technological function of
liquid smoke solutions }andwhereas similar investigations are "being carried
outonthepractice ofsmoking offoodstuff s;whereas thesituation must
hereviewed inthelight ofthese investigations ;
Whereas itistherefore notyetpossible totake final decisions asto
whether ornotthe use ofliquid smoke solutions should "beauthorized
within the Community norastothemanner inwhich this authorization
should bebrought about ;andwhereas thepractice ofsmoking offoodstuffs
should bere-examined atCommunity level ;
Whereas Directive 78/145/EECalso permits Member States to
maintain theprovisions oftheir national laws relating totheuse of
formaldehyde inGrana Padano cheese subject toa
Commission ;
Whereas this provision should bemaintained forafurther period of
three years ;
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE :
Article 1
Directive 64/54/EECishereby amended asfollows :
1.Article 3isreplaced bythefollowing :
"Member States may authorize the smoking ofcertain foodstuffs only
insmoke ,orliquid solutions ofsmoke ,produced from wood orwoody
plants inthenatural state ,excluding wood orplants which have been
impregnated ,coloured ,gummed orpainted ortreated inasimilar
manner andprovided that such smoking does notcreate anyrisk to
human health ."*
2.InArticle 5,paragraphs 2and 3(b )aredeleted andparagraph 3(a )is
renumbered asthenewparagraph 2.
Article 2
Within three years following notification ofthis Direotive theCommission
shall re-examine theprovisions ofArticle 1.and shall propose anyneoessary
amendments tothe Council *

Article3
MemberStatesshall "bringintoforcethelawsregulations andswiministrative
provisionsnecessarytocomplywiththisDirectivenotlaterthan
31Deoember1980andshallforthwithinformtheCommissionthereof.
Article4
ThisDirectiveisaddressedtotheMemberStateB*
I
DoneatBrussels, FortheCouncil
ThePresident