ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (79)232
Vol.1979/0095

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(79)232 final
Brussels,30thApril1979
PROPOSAL FORACOUNCILDIRECTIVE
AMENDING FORTHESEVENTHTIMEDIRECTIVE
73/241/EECONTHEAPPROXIMATION OFTHELAWS
OFTHEMEMBERSTATESRELATING TOCOCOAAND
CHOCOLATE PRODUCTS INTENDED FORHUMANCONSUMPTION
(presentedbytheCommissiontotheCouncil)
COM(79)232final/"ν

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
1.Under theprovisions ofAnnex Il(2)(a)(iii )and (b)(iii )ofCouncil
Directive 73/24l/EECof24July 1973 ontheapproximation ofthelaws
oftheMember States relating toooooa andchocolate products
intended forhuman consumption ,aslast amended "byDirective
978/842/EEC |theMember States canmaintain until 20June 1979 any
national provisions authorizing theuse ofthefollowing emulsifiers
incocoa ano chocolate products :
-polyclycerol polyrioinoleatej
-sorbitan monostearate }
-sorbitan tristearate }
-polyoxyethylene (20)sorbitan monostearate ;
-ammonium salts ofphosphatidic acids (ammonium phosphatides ).
Before thedate indioated above ,theCouncil maydeoide that these
substances aretobetransferred toAnnex IofDirective 73/241/EEC
andthus authorized forgeneral usethroughout theCommunity .
2.TheCommission hasexamined the substances inquestion from thepoint ofview
ofboth their toxicological acogptability andtheir technological use­
fulness incoooa and ohooolate products .
2.1 .Asregards thetoxicological aspect ,theScientific Committee for
Pood ,initsopinion of30November 1978 ,stipulated theacceptable
daily intakes forallthesubstances inquestion .Asregards
polyoxyethylene (2)sorbitan monostearate ,however ,this intake figure
isofatemporary nature .Onthebasis ofthis opinion ,which also
covers other substances ,theCommission hasjust forwarded tothe
Council 3aproposal toamend Counoil Directive 74/329/EECof
18June 1974 cntheapproximation ofthelaws oftheMember States
relating toemulsifiers ,stabilizers ,thickeners andgelling agents !
foruseinfoodstuffs 4.asamended byDirective 78/6lS/EBC^.
1QJL228of16August 1973 ,p.23
2CJL291of17Ootober 1978 ,p.15
3Doo.COM(79 )
4OJ189of12July 1974 ,P.1
5OJL197of22July 1978 ,p.22

2.Asregardsthetechnological examinationtheCommissionhascon­
sultedtheMemberStatesandalsothe"businessandsooialcirclescon­
cerned.
2.1.Theinformationreceivedonthisoccasionleadstotheconclusion
thetheuseincocoaandchocolateproduotsofammonium
phosphatides (ammoniumsaltsofphosphatidicacids)offersreal
advantages.Thesesubstances,whicharerelatedtotheleoithins
alreadyauthorizedasemulsifiersincocoaandchocolateproducts,donot
havethedrawbackassociatedwiththelatterofalteringthe
organoleptic propertiesoftheproductstowhichtheyareadded.
Consequently ,theCommissionproposestoextendtothewhole
Communitytheauthorizeduseofammoniumphosphatides .
Italsoseemspossibletoprovideforthesamelimitationintheir
caseashasalreadybeenprovidedforthelecithins,viz.ar
overalllevelforphosphatideoontent,includingthenaturalcontent
incocoabeans,thatmustbebeexceededinthefinishedproduct.
Inthiswaytheacceptabledailyintake,whichis30mg/kgbody
weight,willnotbeexoeeded.Onthecontrary,itwillnothavebeen
reachedbyalongway.
Atthesametime,theopportunity shouldbetakentoreviewthe
wordingonlecithins,astheircriteriaofpurityhavelatelybeen
definedinCouncilDirective78/664/EEOof25July1978*•
2.2.AsregardstheothersubstanceslistedinSeotion1above,theCom­
missiondidnot,inthecourseofitsconsultations ,receiveanypertinent
informationenablingittoissueafavourableopiniononthetechnolo­
gicalusefulnessofthesesubstanoes.Accordingly ,theCommissionis
notinapositiontoproposetotheCouncilthatthesesubstanoesbe
includedinAnnexItoDireotive73/241/EEC.
ThisproposalforaDireotivemustbesubmittedforanopiniontothe
EuropeanParliamentandtheEconomicandSocialCommittee.Suchconsultation
ismandatoryunderthesecondparagraphofArtiole100oftheTreaty.
OJL223of14August1978,p.30 '._

ProposalforaCouncilDirectiveamending
fortheseventhtimeDirective73/24l/EEC
ontheapproximation ofthelawsoftheMember
Statesrelatingtoooooaandohocolatepro­
ductsintendedforhumanconsumption
THECOUNCILOFTHEEUROPEANCOMMUNITIES,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishing -theEuropeanEcondmioCommunity,
andinparticularArtiole100thereof,
HavingregardtotheproposalfromtheCommission,
HavingregardtotheopinionoftheEuropeanParliament,
HavingregardtotheopinionoftheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
Whereas,underparagraph 2(bXiii)ofAnnexIItoCouncil
1-. •..•..... 2Directive73/241/EE:C/asLastamendedbyDirective78/842/EEC>the
MemberStatescanmaintainuntil20'.June1979,anynationalprovisions
authorizingtheuseincocoaandchocolateproductsoftheemulsifiers
listedinparagraph 2(aXiii)'ofAnnexII;
Whereas,"beforethedateindicatedabove,theCouncilmaydecidethat
thesesubstancesaretobetransferredtoAnnexIofDirective73/24l/EEC
andthusauthorizedforgeneralusethroughouttheCommunity;
Whereasthisoptionshould.beexercisedinrespectofammoniumphosphatides
(ammoniumsaltsofphosphatidioaoids);whereastheuseofthese
substancesofferstechnological advantagesowingtothefactthatthey
donotaltertheorganoleptic propertiesofthecocoaandchocolate
productstowhichtheyareadded; ,
0JL228of16.8.1973,p.23
2QJL291of17.10.1978,p/15

-4-
Whereasauthorization oftheuseofammoniumphosphatides doesnotposear$r
dangertopublichealth,since,inapplicationoftheruleLaiddownin
AnnexI(6)withregardtolecithins,suchauthorizationisaccompaniedby
theimpositionofanoverallphosphatidelevel"whichtakesintoaccount-the
naturalphosphatidecontentincocoabeansandwhichmustnotbeexceededin~
thefinishedproduct;
„*. '' '•«'
Whereasthespecificcriteriaofpurityforlecithinshavebeendefinedin
CouncilDirective78/664/EECof25July1978layingdownspecificcriteriaof
purityforantioxidants whichmaybeusedinfoodstuffsintendedforhuman
consumption (3),
HASADOPTEDTHISDIRECTIVE :
Artiele1
Direotive73/241/EEGisamendedasfollows:
ThefirstandsecondparagraphsofAnnex1(6)shallbereplacedbythefollowing
Totheproductslistedin.Annex1(1),withtheexoeptionofcoooanib,;
thefollowingmaybeadded,ontheirownorblended»
a)lecithins/~E3227
b)ammoniumphosphatidesF.E442/
Thedescriptionoftheproductshallbeaccompanied byanindicationof
anysuchaddition,savewherethesubstancesinquestionareaddedtothe
varioussortsofchocolatereferredtoinpoints1.16to1.28-•
• <
2.Paragraph2(a)(111)andCbXiii)ofAnnexIIrshalI.by'deleted.
.Article2
MemberStagesshall"take"fch.9measuresnecessaryinordertocomplywiththis
Direotivewithineighteenmonthsofitsnotification .'Theyshall"-i
forQwithinformtheCommissionthereof.
Artide3 ;
ThisDireotiveisaddressedtotheMemberStates. ;
■.Doneat
FortheCouncil ■ j
ThePresident , j
U)0JL223of14August1978,P*30 ;_j