Colours in Food Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations implement European Parliament and Council Directive 94/36/EC (O.J. No. L237, 10.9.94, p. 13) on colours for use in foodstuffs (which has to be read with Council Directive 89/107/EEC (O.J. No. L40, 11.2.89, p. 27) on the approximation of the laws of the member States concerning food additives authorised for use in foodstuffs intended for human consumption) and Commission Directive 95/45/EC (O.J. No. L226, 22.9.95, p. 1) laying down specific criteria of purity concerning the colours for use in foodstuffs.

The principal provisions of the Regulations—

(1) prohibit the use of any colour in or on any food other than a permitted colour (regulation 3(1));

(2) prohibit the use of any permitted colour in or on any food, otherwise than in accordance with the Regulations (regulation 3(2), (3) and (4));

(3) prohibit the use of any colour other than certain permitted colours for the health marking etc. of certain meat and meat products (regulation 4);

(4) prohibit the use of any colour on eggshells other than a permitted colour (regulation 5);

(5) prohibit the sale for use in or on any food of any colour other than a permitted colour (regulation 7(1)); only certain permitted colours may be sold directly to consumers (regulation 7(2) and (3));

(6) prohibit the sale of any food containing any added colour other than a permitted colour used in or on it in accordance with the Regulations (regulation 7(4)).

The Regulations also—

(a) make provision in relation to compound foods (regulation 6);

(b) make provision in relation to the condemnation of food (regulation 8);

(c) create offences, prescribe a penalty and provide for the enforcement of the Regulations (regulation 9);

(d) provide a defence in relation to exports, in implementation of Articles 2 and 3 of Council Directive 89/397/EEC (O.J. No. L186, 30.6.89, p. 23) on the official control of foodstuffs, as read with the ninth recital to that Directive (regulation 10);

(e) incorporate specified provisions of the Food Safety (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 (regulation 11);

(f) revoke the Regulations and order specified in Schedule 6 to the extent specified in that Schedule, and make consequential amendments (regulation 12);

(g) contain a transitional provision and exemption (regulation 13).