Annexes to COM(2008)608 - Opinion of the Commission pursuant to Article 251 (2), third subparagraph, point (c) of the EC Treaty, on the European Parliament's amendments to the Council's common position regarding the proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on food additives amending the proposal of the Commission pursuant to Article 250 (2) of the EC Treaty - Main contents
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| dossier | COM(2008)608 - Opinion of the Commission pursuant to Article 251 (2), third subparagraph, point (c) of the EC Treaty, on the European ... |
|---|---|
| document | COM(2008)608  |
| date | December 16, 2008 |
Functional classes of food additives in foods and of food additives in food additives and food enzymes
| 1. | ‘sweeteners’ are substances used to impart a sweet taste to foods or in table-top sweeteners; |
| 2. | ‘colours’ are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food. Preparations obtained from foods and other edible natural source materials obtained by physical and/or chemical extraction resulting in a selective extraction of the pigments relative to the nutritive or aromatic constituents are colours within the meaning of this Regulation; |
| 3. | ‘preservatives’ are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms; |
| 4. | ‘antioxidants’ are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by oxidation, such as fat rancidity and colour changes; |
| 5. | ‘carriers’ are substances used to dissolve, dilute, disperse or otherwise physically modify a food additive or a flavouring, food enzyme, nutrient and/or other substance added for nutritional or physiological purposes to a food without altering its function (and without exerting any technological effect themselves) in order to facilitate its handling, application or use; |
| 6. | ‘acids’ are substances which increase the acidity of a foodstuff and/or impart a sour taste to it; |
| 7. | ‘acidity regulators’ are substances which alter or control the acidity or alkalinity of a foodstuff; |
| 8. | ‘anti-caking agents’ are substances which reduce the tendency of individual particles of a foodstuff to adhere to one another; |
| 9. | ‘anti-foaming agents’ are substances which prevent or reduce foaming; |
| 10. | ‘bulking agents’ are substances which contribute to the volume of a foodstuff without contributing significantly to its available energy value; |
| 11. | ‘emulsifiers’ are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff; |
| 12. | ‘emulsifying salts’ are substances which convert proteins contained in cheese into a dispersed form and thereby bring about homogenous distribution of fat and other components; |
| 13. | ‘firming agents’ are substances which make or keep tissues of fruit or vegetables firm or crisp, or interact with gelling agents to produce or strengthen a gel; |
| 14. | ‘flavour enhancers’ are substances which enhance the existing taste and/or odour of a foodstuff; |
| 15. | ‘foaming agents’ are substances which make it possible to form a homogenous dispersion of a gaseous phase in a liquid or solid foodstuff; |
| 16. | ‘gelling agents’ are substances which give a foodstuff texture through formation of a gel; |
| 17. | ‘glazing agents’ (including lubricants) are substances which, when applied to the external surface of a foodstuff, impart a shiny appearance or provide a protective coating; |
| 18. | ‘humectants’ are substances which prevent foods from drying out by counteracting the effect of an atmosphere having a low degree of humidity, or promote the dissolution of a powder in an aqueous medium; |
| 19. | ‘modified starches’ are substances obtained by one or more chemical treatments of edible starches, which may have undergone a physical or enzymatic treatment, and may be acid or alkali thinned or bleached; |
| 20. | ‘packaging gases’ are gases other than air, introduced into a container before, during or after the placing of a foodstuff in that container; |
| 21. | ‘propellants’ are gases other than air which expel a foodstuff from a container; |
| 22. | ‘raising agents’ are substances or combinations of substances which liberate gas and thereby increase the volume of a dough or a batter; |
| 23. | ‘sequestrants’ are substances which form chemical complexes with metallic ions; |
| 24. | ‘stabilisers’ are substances which make it possible to maintain the physico-chemical state of a foodstuff; stabilisers include substances which enable the maintenance of a homogenous dispersion of two or more immiscible substances in a foodstuff, substances which stabilise, retain or intensify an existing colour of a foodstuff and substances which increase the binding capacity of the food, including the formation of cross-links between proteins enabling the binding of food pieces into re-constituted food; |
| 25. | ‘thickeners’ are substances which increase the viscosity of a foodstuff; |
| 26. | ‘flour treatment agents’ are substances, other than emulsifiers, which are added to flour or dough to improve its baking quality. |
ANNEX II
Community list of food additives approved for use in foods and conditions of use.
ANNEX III
Community list of food additives approved for use in food additives, food enzymes and food flavourings, and their conditions of use.
Community list of carriers in nutrients and their conditions of use.
| Part 1 | Carriers in food additives |
| Part 2 | Food additives other than carriers in food additives |
| Part 3 | Food additives including carriers in food enzymes |
| Part 4 | Food additives including carriers in food flavourings |
| Part 5 | Carriers in nutrients and other substances added for nutritional and/or for other physiological purposes |
ANNEX IV
Traditional foods for which certain Member States may continue to prohibit the use of certain categories of food additives
| Member State | Foods | Categories of additives which may continue to be banned |
| Germany | Traditional German beer (Bier nach deutschem Reinheitsgebot gebraut) | All except propellant gases |
| France | Traditional French bread | All |
| France | Traditional French preserved truffles | All |
| France | Traditional French preserved snails | All |
| France | Traditional French goose and duck preserves (confit) | All |
| Austria | Traditional Austrian ‘Bergkäse’ | All except preservatives |
| Finland | Traditional Finnish ‘Mämmi’ | All except preservatives |
| Sweden Finland | Traditional Swedish and Finnish fruit syrups | Colours |
| Denmark | Traditional Danish ‘Kødboller’ | Preservatives and colours |
| Denmark | Traditional Danish ‘Leverpostej’ | Preservatives (other than sorbic acid) and colours |
| Spain | Traditional Spanish ‘Lomo embuchado’ | All except preservatives and antioxidants |
| Italy | Traditional Italian ‘Mortadella’ | All except preservatives, antioxidants, pH-adjusting agents, flavour enhancers, stabilisers and packaging gas |
| Italy | Traditional Italian ‘Cotechino e zampone’ | All except preservatives, antioxidants, pH-adjusting agents, flavour enhancers, stabilisers and packaging gas |
ANNEX V
List of the food colours referred to in Article 24 for which the labelling of foods shall include additional information
| Foods containing one or more of the following food colours | Information |
| Sunset yellow (E 110) (1) | ‘name or E number of the colour(s)’: may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children. |
| Quinoline yellow (E 104) (1) | |
| Carmoisine (E 122) (1) | |
| Allura red (E 129) (1) | |
| Tartrazine (E 102) (1) | |
| Ponceau 4R (E 124) (1) |
(1) With the exception of foods where the colour(s) has been used for the purposes of health or other marking on meat products or for stamping or decorative colouring on eggshells.