In addition, the proposal creates a simplified common approval procedure for food additives, flavourings and enzymes, which would include safety evaluations from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
It aims to establish a positive list of allowed food additives and to make the European Food Safety Authority responsible for the risk assessment of new substances.
Additives and flavourings are already covered by EU legislation. The latest proposals bring the rules into line with the latest scientific and technological developments and will improve the clarity of the legislation.
With regard to food enzymes, the draft Regulation proposes replacing divergent national legislation with new, harmonised EU rules.
The European Parliament is going to start examining the proposal during the first semester 2007.
Moreover, the Commission is expected to publish a proposal to amend the current directive on nutrition labelling in spring 2007, which should make labelling of nutritional information mandatory. Consumers need information on nutrition that is understandable and enables them to make healthy and well-informed choices. A simplified labelling scheme would help consumers to understand nutritional labelling and to be able to judge rapidly the nutritional quality of the food they buy.
For more information, please see the Commission’s (DG SANCO) Food Safety website.
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