16.12.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC332/3
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDirectiveamendingDirective79/112/EEConthe
approximation ofthelawsoftheMemberStatesrelatingtothelabelling,presentationand
advertisingoffoodstuffs(*)
(92/C332/02
On11May1992theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle100AoftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity ,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforProtectionoftheEnvironment ,PublicHealthandConsumerAffairs,which
wasresponsibleforpreparingtheCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon
29September1992.TheRapporteurwasMrGardner.
Atits300thPlenarySession(meetingof22October1992)theEconomicandSocialCommittee
unanimouslyadoptedthefollowingOpinion.
proposaldiscriminatesagainstcertaingroupsofdrink.
Intheinterestsbothofconsumerinformationandof
faircompetition ,Article1.4.3(a)shouldbedeletedand
theArticleshouldthereforebechangedtoread:1.Introduction
1.1.Thisamendmentdealswithseveralchanges
whichhavevariouslybecomedesirableowingtojudge­
mentsoftheLuxembourgCourt,todifferentnational
interpretations oftheexistingDirectiveandthefailure
oftheCounciltoenactfullinformativelabellingfor
winesandotheralcoholicdrinks.'Therulesforlabellingtheingredientsofdrinks
containingmorethan1,2%alcoholshallbedeter­
minedinaccordancewiththeprocedureprovided
inArticle17.
Foralltheseproductsthelistofingredientsshallbe
precededbythefollowing :«preparedfrom».'2.Generalcomments
2.1.TheCommitteewelcomestheproposalssubject
tothedetailedcommentsbelow.However,thereisone
furtherchangewhichtheCommitteewantstoadd:3.1.2.Thewords'preparedfrom'aremorecorrect
thanthepresentwords'preparedwith'assomeingredi­
entschangeduringfermentation .
3.2.Article1.52.2.Productssoldloose
2.2.1.Article12oftheoriginalDirective(2)allows
exemptionsfornon-prepacked foods.TheCommittee
recognisesthegreatpracticaldifficultiesofgivinginfor­
mationonnon-prepacked foods.Intheinterestsboth
ofconsumerinformationandoffaircompetition,the
Committeerecommendsthisanomalybeabolished.
Onemethodwouldbetohavefullingredientlistsof
thesefoodsavailableforconsultationbytheconsumer
atthepointofsale.3.2.1.TheexistingDirectivehasresultedincon­
fusion.Theintentionwastogivequantitativedeclar­
ationsonlywheretherewasspecialemphasis.Thisis
explicitlystatedintheGermantextoftheDirective
andallothercountriesexceptonehaveinterpretedthe
existingDirectiveinthisway.TheoneMemberState
hasnevermovedfromitspre-Community legislation
requiringpercentageswhereaningredientappearsin
thenameoftheproduct.3.Detailedcomments
3.1.Article1.4
3.1.1.IncludingalcoholicdrinksintheDirectiveis
awelcome,ifverybelateddevelopment .However,the3.2.2.Thisproposaleffectivelyacceptsthatpractice.
Theproposalalsoprovidesforthepossibilityofdis­
tinguishingbetweenproductswhichhavethesame
nameinseveralCommunitylanguagesbutwherethere
isdifferingnationalrecipelaw.Anexampleismayon­
naisewheredifferentfatlevelsarerequiredinsomebut
notallnationallaws.í1)OJNoC122,14.5.1992,p.12.
(2)OJNoL33,8.2.1979.

NoC332/4 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 16.12.92
3.2.3.Giventheneedforgoodconsumerinformation
intheSingleMarketof1993,thegeneralthrustof
Article1.5isaccepted.However:
3.3.Article1.5.1
3.3.1.Thisleavesopenhowthequantityshallbe
declared.Toavoiddifferingnationalinterpretations
thisshouldbedefined.Giventhenaturalvariabilityof
rawmaterialsandthevariabilityinherentinmanufac­
turingprocesses,'typicalvalues'areprobablythebest
ones,ratherthanaverage,medianormeanones.The
startofthisArticle,therefore,shouldbechangedto:
'Thetypicalquantityofaningredient...'
3.4.Article1.5.2(a)
3.4.1.Whatis'derivedimplicitly'variesbetween
countries.ForinstanceGenoisebiscuitsimplieseggs
havebeenusedinFranceandthesameappliesto
Löffelbiskuits inGermany.Thereisnosuchimplication
fortheequivalentJaffacakesorBoudoirbiscuitsinthe
Englishspeakingcountries.
3.4.2.Therulesforthisshouldthereforealsobe
decidedinaccordancewiththeprocedureunderArticle
17soastopreventbarrierstotrade.
3.5.Article1.5.5
3.5.1.Thereisanimportantdifferencebetweenthe
EnglishandFrenchversions.TheEnglishonerequires
declarationofapercentagewhiletheFrenchonerequiresdeclarationofa'determinedquantity'.Both
havetheiruses:
3.5.2.Withastraightmixturesuchasamueslimix,
percentagesarebest.However,forproductswhich
looseagreatdealofwaterduringprocessingsuchas
bakedgoodsorpotatocrisps,thedefinedquantityis
best.Forexample,300grammesofpotatoesareused
togive100grammesofcrisps,whichwouldleadtoa
percentageof300%.
Thearticleshould,therefore,bechangedtoread:
'Thequantityindicatedistheamountusedinthe
manufactureofagivenquantityoffinishedproduct.
Whereappropriatethismaybeexpressedasaper­
centage.'
3.6.Article1.5.6
3.6.1.Thisintroducestheterm'constituents'which
arenowheredefined.Thiswordappearstocoverboth
ingredientsandfoodswhichformpartoftheproduct
suchas'cheesetopping'.Theterm'constituents'must
thereforeeitherbedeletedordefined.
3.7.Article2
3.7.1.Thewords'nolaterthan30June1994'inthe
secondindentshouldbechangedtoread:
'prohibittradeinproductsnotconformingtothis
Directivetwoyearsafteritspublication .However,
productsalreadyinthetrademaybesolduntil
expiryofthe«bestbefore»date.'
DoneatBrussels,22October1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN