Commercial Information Circulars

24-hour hotline : 23 922 922

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

Ref : EIC 230/2/12

10 May 2012

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 335/2012

European Union (EU)* : Amendments to Regulation on Food Additives (Use of Aluminium-containing Food Additives)

Further to Commercial Information Circular No. 231/2012 dated 26 March 2012, the European Commission (the Commission) has adopted a Regulation to amend Annex II of Regulation (EC) No. 1333/2008 concerning the conditions of use and the use levels for aluminium-containing food additives. Details are set out in Commission Regulation (EU) No. 380/2012, which can be accessed through the following link:

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2012:119:0014:0038:EN:PDF

DETAILS

2. Annex II to Regulation (EC) No. 1333/2008 lays down a Union list of food additives approved for use in foods and their conditions of use. It authorises the use of aluminium-containing food additives as well as some colours that may contain aluminium in the form of lakes in wide number of foodstuffs at very high maximum permitted levels or without any indication of the maximum concentration levels.

3. According to the opinion of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), it is recommended to lower the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) for aluminium. To ensure that the revised TWI is not exceeded, the current conditions of use and use level for aluminium-containing food additives, including aluminium lakes set out in Annex II of Regulation (EC) No. 1333/2008 should therefore be amended in accordance with the Annex of this Regulation.

4. To allow food business operators to adapt to the new requirements, foods not complying with the provisions laid down in this Regulation applicable from either 1 February 2014 or 1 August 2014 but have been lawfully placed on the market before the respective dates, may continue to be marketed until their date of minimum durability or use-by date.

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.