Sweeteners in Food (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations amend the Sweeteners in Food Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 (“the principal Regulations”) in implementation of Directive 96/83/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (O.J. No. L48, 19.2.97, p. 16) amending Directive 94/35/EC (O.J. No. L237, 10.9.94, p. 3) on sweeteners for use in foodstuffs.

The Regulations—

(a) amend regulation 2 of the principal Regulations to include in the definition of “Directive 94/35/EC” a reference to Directive 96/83/EC and to add a definition of “relevant compound foods” (regulation 2(a));

(b) insert regulation 5A (compound foods) in the principal Regulations and make other amendments to those Regulations in consequence thereof (regulation 2(b)(i), (c) and (d));

(c) amend regulation 3 of the principal Regulations to provide that paragraph (4) applies to food for infants and young children not in good health (regulation 2(b)(ii));

(d) amend regulation 11 of the principal Regulations to provide, for a transitional period, a defence in relation to acts which would have been in compliance with the principal Regulations before amendment by these Regulations and to exempt, in accordance with specified conditions, sweeteners and food from other Member States (regulation 2(e)); and

(e) incorporate into Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations the permitted sweeteners, foods listed in relation thereto and maximum usable dose for each such sweetener contained in the Annex to Directive 96/83/EC (regulation 2(f)).