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Trade and Industry Department The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Brand Hong Kong - Asia world city
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Commercial Information Circulars

24-hour hotline : 23 922 922

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

Ref : EIC 230/2/12

26 March 2012

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 231/2012

European Union (EU)* : Regulation on Food Additives

Further to Commercial Information Circular No. 714/2011 dated 15 November 2011, the European Commission (the Commission) has adopted a Regulation laying down specifications for food additives listed in Annex II and Annex III to Regulation (EC) No. 1333/2008. Details are set out in Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012, which can be accessed through the following link:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2012:083:0001:0295:EN:PDF

 

ENQUIRIES

2.Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 provides for the establishment of a Union list of food additives approved for use in foods and their condition of use. Taking into account the opinion expressed by the European Food Safety Authority, specifications for food additives including colours and sweeteners listed in Annex II and Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 are set out in the Annex of the new Regulation. 
 

3.In this regard, specifications previously developed for food additives as laid down in Commission Directives 2008/128/EC, 2008/84/EC and 2008/60/EC concerning the specific purity criteria on colours for use in foodstuffs; food additives other than colours and sweeteners; as well as sweeteners for use in foodstuffs should be taken over to this Regulation and those Directives should be repealed with effect from 1 December 2012.
 

4.This Regulation shall apply from 1 December 2012. During the transitional period, foodstuffs containing food additives that have been lawfully placed on the market before 1 December 2012 but do not comply with this Regulation, may continue to be marketed until stocks are exhausted. However, the specifications set out in the Annex for additives steviol glycosides (E 960) and basic methacrylate copolymer (E 1205) shall apply from the date of entry into force of this Regulation, i.e. 11 April 2012.

ENQUIRIES

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

Yours faithfully,




(Miss Anita WONG)

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.





Note ：

  • (1) While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the above information, the Department cannot guarantee this to be so and will not be held liable for any reliance placed on the same.
  • (2)The biweekly newsletter "Business Alert - EU" of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council provides up-to-date information on the latest developments in EU trade policy and trade regulations. The newsletter is available for free e-subscription and can be accessed through
    http://www.tdctrade.com/alert/eualert.htm.