Commercial Information Circulars

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

Ref : EIC 230/2/12

25 June 2009

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 325/2009

European Union (EU)* : Directive on Extraction Solvents used in the production of Foodstuff and Food Ingredients

The European Parliament and the Council of the EU has adopted a Directive on extraction solvents used or intended for use in the production of foodstuff and food ingredients. Details are set out in Directive 2009/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (the Directive). The Directive can be accessed through the following link:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:141:0003:0011:EN:PDF

DETAILS

1.  
2. Under the Directive, extraction solvent refers to the solvent used in an extraction procedure during the processing of raw materials, of foodstuffs, or of components or ingredients of these products and which is removed but may result in unintentional but technically unavoidable presence of residues or derivatives in the foodstuff or food ingredient.
3. To protect public health, only authorised substances and materials listed in Annex I of the Directive can be used as extraction solvents in the manufacture of foodstuff or food ingredients. In addition, these substances and materials have to comply with the following purity criteria:
   • -they shall not contain a toxicologically dangerous amount of any element or substance;
   • -subject to any exceptions derived from the specific purity criteria adopted in Article 4(d) of the Directive, they shall not contain more than 1 mg/kg of arsenic or more than 1 mg/kg of lead; and
   • -they shall satisfy the specific purity criteria adopted in Article 4(d) of the Directive.
4. Furthermore, the substances and materials used or intended to be used as extraction solvents in foodstuffs may not be marketed unless their trade documents, packaging, containers or labels are easily visible, clearly legible and indelible with the following particulars:
   • -the commercial name of the substance and materials used (as listed in Annex I of the Directive);
   • -a clear indication that the material is of a quality suitable for use as extraction of food or food ingredients;
   • -a reference by which the batch or lot may be identified;
   • -the name or business name and address of the manufacturer or packers or of a seller established in the EU;
   • -the net quantity given as units of volume; and
   • -if necessary, the special storage conditions or conditions of use.

ENQUIRIES

5. For enquiries concerning the content of this circular, please contact the undersigned at telephone number 2398 5556.

Yours faithfully,

(Miss Peggy LEUNG)

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.