The committee adopted the report by Mojca DRCAR MURKO (ALDE, SI) broadly approving the proposal under the 1st reading of the codecision procedure, subject to a number of amendments:
- to facilitate matters for allergy-sufferers, the use of soybean hemicellulose should not be permitted in foods in which soybean residues are not expected to be found (i.e. staples such as rice and noodles);
- a new Article 2a stipulated that the Commission should report to Parliament and the Council on the introduction in Directive 94/35/EC of a new category for "sport drinks". The report should look inter alia at the reduction in the use of sweeteners from the current threshold of 30% to 25% in products which are "energy reduced or with no added sweetener";
- food products containing sulphites should be clearly labelled to warn allergenic and asthmatic people about the presence of these additives;
- the current maximum level of SO2 in cooked crustacean products should be brought into line with the maximum level currently permitted for fresh crustaceans;
- a new entry should be added to Annex III, Part B of Directive 95/2/EC permitting a maximum level of 10mg/kg of SO2 for table grapes and fresh lychees in order to ensure the continued availability of these popular products;
- for nitrates, the committee
proposed, in the case of traditional products such as "dry and wet cured
ham" (e.g.
- new provisions were added permitting the inclusion of Tertiary-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ) as a new antioxidant for use in oils, fats and foods at a maximum level of 200 mg/kg following a positive evaluation from the EFSA;
- lastly, the committee proposed including pullulan as a new additive for use in food supplements and breath fresheners, following its positive evaluation by the EFSA, and Starch Aluminium Octenyl Succinate (SAOS) for use in vitamin and nutrient preparations for dietary food supplements following the positive opinion of the Scientific Committee for Food.