Chocolate and cocoa directive adopted

Citation

(2000), "Chocolate and cocoa directive adopted", British Food Journal, Vol. 102 No. 8. https://doi.org/10.1108/bfj.2000.070102hab.010

Chocolate and cocoa directive adopted

Chocolate and cocoa directive adopted

In May, the EU Council approved the European Parliament's second reading amendment (15 March 2000) to the common position on the Directive related to cocoa and chocolate products intended for human consumption – adopted by Council on 28 October 1999. The European Parliament's one amendment having been approved by Council, the Directive will be deemed to have been adopted in the form of the common position thus amended. Following the signing of the legislative act by the President of the European Parliament, the President of the Council and the Secretary-General of each of the two institutions, the act will be published in the Official Journal.

The common position was approved by qualified majority with the Belgian and The Netherlands delegations voting against and the Luxembourg delegation abstaining.

The most important element of this Directive – which lays down common rules for the composition, manufacturing specifications, packaging and labelling of cocoa and chocolate products – is to authorise the use, in the production of chocolate, of vegetable fats other than cocoa butter up to a limit of 5 per cent of the weight of the finished product. Member States should comply with this Directive (repealing the existing Directive 73/241/EEC) within 36 months from the date of its publication in the Official Journal.