Foodstuffs intended for particular nutritional uses

Citation

Jukes, D. (1999), "Foodstuffs intended for particular nutritional uses", British Food Journal, Vol. 101 No. 8. https://doi.org/10.1108/bfj.1999.070101hab.014

Foodstuffs intended for particular nutritional uses

Foodstuffs intended for particular nutritional uses

Following the agreement reached in the Conciliation committee on 23 March 1999, the Council has adopted the Directive amending Directive 89/398/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to foodstuffs intended for particular nutritional uses (dietary foodstuffs).

Directive 89/398/EEC (part of the White Paper programme for completion of the internal market) brought in common rules for the labelling, presentation and advertising of dietary foodstuffs. The Annex to this Directive lists nine "groups of foods for particular nutritional uses for which specific provisions will be laid down by specific directives".

In line with the experience acquired since the adoption of the Directive, and in the light of the conclusions of the Edinburgh Summit in 1992 (which called for simpler legislation and less of it), the categories of products requiring specific provisions have now been reduced to five under the new Directive. These are:

1. 1.

   infant formulae and follow-on formulae;

2. 2.

   cereal-based foods and baby foods for infants and young children;

3. 3.

   foods intended for use in energy-restricted diets for weight reduction;

4. 4.

   dietary foods for special medical purposes; and

5. 5.

   foods intended to meet the expenditure of intense muscular effort, especially for sportsmen.

Directives have already been adopted for the first three groups. As regards foods for persons suffering from carbohydrate-metabolism disorders (diabetics), a decision on the desirability of special provisions will be taken only after a transitional period (no longer than three years from adoption of the Directive), to be used by the Commission for further consultation of the Scientific Committee for Food.