CELEX: 51991PC0195
Language: en
Date: 1991-06-05
Title: AMENDMENT TO THE PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL DIRECTIVE ON SWEETENERS FOR USE IN FOODSTUFFS

No C 175/6                             Official Journal of the European Communities                                     6. 7. 91
                         Amended proposal for a Council Directive on sweeteners for use in foodstuffs
                                                           (91/C 175/06)
                                                 COM(91) 195 final — SYN 296
                    (Submitted by the Commission pursuant to Article 149 (3) of the EEC Treaty on 6 June 1991)
  In response to the opinion delivered by the European                    2b.    This Directive applies to sugar-free and
  Parliament on the proposal for a Council Directive on                   energy-reduced food. A foodstuff is considered to be
  sweeteners for use in foodstuffs (l) and in accordance                  energy-reduced if its calorific value has been reduced
  with the third paragraph of Article 149 of the Treaty                   by 33 % by comparison with a reference foodstuff of
  establishing the European Economic Community, the                       the same weight.'
  Commission has decided to amend the abovementioned
  proposal as follows:
                                                                      5. The following Article 2 (4a) is added:
    1. The second recital is replaced by the following:
                                                                          '4a.    Table-top sweeteners containing polyols (E
                                                                          420, E 421, E 953, E 965, E 966, E 967) shall be
        'Whereas the prime consideration for any rules on                 labelled with the following: "excessive consumption
        sweeteners and their conditions for use should be the             may induce laxative effects".
        need to protect and inform the consumer';.
                                                                          Table-top sweeteners containing aspartame (E 951)
                                                                          shall be labelled with the following: "contains a
   2. The sixth recital is replaced by the following:                     source of phenylalanine — counter-indicated in the
                                                                          case of phenylketonuria".'
        'Whereas the use of sweeteners to replace sugar is
       justified for the production of energy-reduced food,
       non-carcinogenic foodstuffs or food without the               6. The following Article 3a is added:
       addition of sugar, for the extension of shelf-life
       through the replacement of sugar, for the widening
       of consumer choice and for the production of                      'Article 3a
       diabetic and dietetic products';.
                                                                         By way of derogation from Article 3 (2) (a) and (b)
                                                                         of Directive 89/107/EEC, where it is proposed,
   3. The following seventh recital is added:                            following the opinion of the Scientific Committee
                                                                         for Food, to add a new substance to the list of
                                                                         approved sweeteners in the Annex, to create a new
       'Whereas "sugar free" means food additives                        category of food in which sweeteners may be used
       containing     monosaccharides,     disaccharides    or           or to adjust the existing list of permitted sweeteners,
       honey';.                                                          this shall be done according to the procedure laid
                                                                         down in Article 6. The Commission shall report to
                                                                         the European Parliament every year on the modifi-
                                                                         cations agreed under this procedure.'
   4. The following Article 1 (2a) and (2b) are added:
                                                                     7. The following new Article 7 is added:
      '2a.     Table-top sweeteners are considered as
      additives sold to the final consumer and will be
      subject to particular labelling provisions as set out in
                                                                        'Article 7
      Directive 89/107/EEC and in Article 2 (4a) of this
      Directive.
                                                                        Member States shall within three years of the
                                                                        adoption of this Directive establish systems of
                                                                        consumer surveys in order to monitor sweetener
(') OJ C 242, 27. 9. 1990, p. 4.                                        consumption.
 ---pagebreak--- 6. 7. 91                                Official Journal of the European Communities                            No C 175/7
     The Commission shall report to the European                   11. The following is added to the table on acesuflame (E
     Parliament within five years of the adoption of the               950):
     Directive on the changes which have taken place in
     the sweeteners market, the levels of use, and whether             Low alcohol beer (with an alcohol
     there is a further need to restrict the conditions of             content of less than 2,5 °/o volume)   350 mg/1
     use to ensure that use does not exceed the acceptable             Alcohol-free beer                      350 mg/1
     daily intake. On the basis of information from
     Member States, the Commission may make recom-
                                                                   12. The following is added to the table on aspartame
     mendations to modify this Directive.'                             (E951):
                                                                       Low alcohol beer (with an alcohol
                                                                       content of less than 2,5 % volume)     200 mg/1
 8. Article 7 becomes Article 8 and its first paragraph is             Alcohol-free beer                      200 mg/1
     replaced by:
                                                                  13. The following is added to the table on saccharin
                                                                       (E954):
                                                                       Low alcohol beer (with an alcohol
     'Member States shall bring into force the laws, regu-
                                                                       content of less than 2,5 % volume)      80 mg/1
     lations and administrative provisions necessary to
     comply with this Directive not later than 1 January               Alcohol-free beer                       80 mg/1
     1992 in order to:
                                                                  14. The following is added to the table on neohesperidin
                                                                       DC (E 959):
                                                                       Low alcohol beer (with an alcohol
     — allow trade in and use of products conforming to
                                                                       content of less than 2,5 % volume)      10 mg/1
         this Directive no later than 1 January 1992,
                                                                       Alcohol-free beer                       10 mg/1
                                                                  15. The note at the top of the Annex is replaced by:
    — prohibit trade in and use of products not
         conforming to this Directive no later than 1                  'NB: with no added sugar = without any added
         January 1993, or after expiry of the shelf date on                  mono-, oligo- and disaccharides or sweeteners.
         the packaging.'
                                                                             Energy-reduced = the energy removed is
                                                                             equivalent to at least 33 % of the energy
                                                                             supplied by similar products of the same
                                                                             weight or the energy that would have been
 9. Article 8 is renumbered as Article 9.
                                                                             supplied by such foodstuffs had the calorific
                                                                             value not been reduced.
                                                                             In foods presented for diabetics, sugar-free
10. In Column 3 of the Annex, 'sugar free' is replaced                       means: without added mono-and disaccharides
    by 'no added sugar'.                                                     except fructose.'