Directive 2000/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 June 2000 relating to cocoa and chocolate products intended for human consumption (c. 36)

ANNEX II U.K. VEGETABLE FATS REFERRED TO IN ARTICLE 2(1)

The vegetable fats referred to in Article 2(1) are, singly or in blends, cocoa butter equivalents and shall comply with the following criteria:

(a)

they are non-lauric vegetable fats, which are rich in symmetrical monounsaturated triglycerides of the type POP, POSt and StOSt(1);

(b)

they are miscible in any proportion with cocoa butter, and are compatible with its physical properties (melting point and crystallisation temperature, melting rate, need for tempering phase);

(c)

they are obtained only by the processes of refining and/or fractionation, which excludes enzymatic modification of the triglyceride structure.

In conformity with the above criteria, the following vegetable fats, obtained from the plants listed below, may be used:

Usual name of vegetable fat	Scientific name of the plants from which the fats listed can be obtained
1. Illipe, Borneo tallow or Tengkawang	Shorea spp.
2. Palm-oil	Elaeis guineensis Elaeis olifera
3. Sal	Shorea robusta
4. Shea	Butyrospermum parkii
5. Kokum gurgi	Garcinia indica
6. Mango kernel	Mangifera indica

Furthermore, as an exception to the above, Member States may allow the use of coconut oil for the following purpose: in chocolate used for the manufacture of ice cream and similar frozen products.

(1)

P (palmitic acid), O (oleic acid), St (stearic acid).