Commercial Information Circulars

24-hour hotline : 23 922 922

e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

Ref : EIC 230/4

30 November 2007

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 456/2007

European Union (EU)* : Amendments to the Directive on Labelling of Foodstuffs

Further to Commercial Information Circular No. 27/2007 of 11 January 2007, the European Commission (the Commission) has adopted a Directive to amend Annex IIIa to the Directive 2000/13/EC concerning the labelling of foodstuff. Details are set out in Commission Directive 2007/68/EC (the Directive). The Directive can be accessed through the following link :
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2007/l_310/l_31020071128en00110014.pdf

DETAILS

2. Annex IIIa to Directive 2000/13/EC establishes a list of food ingredients which must be indicated on the label of foodstuffs as they are likely to cause adverse reactions in susceptible individuals. However, according to the recent scientific findings, certain ingredients or substances derived from the ingredients listed in Annex IIIa are not likely, under specific circumstances, to cause adverse reactions. In this regard, Annex IIIa is amended by the Directive accordingly.

ENQUIRIES

3. For enquiries concerning the contents of this circular, please contact the undersigned at telephone number 2398 5684.

Yours faithfully,

(Cyrus NG)
for Director-General of Trade and Industry

* The EU includes Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.