These Regulations further amend the Food Labelling Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 (“the principal Regulations”).

These Regulations implement the amendment made to Commission Directive 2007/68/EC (OJ No. L310, 28.11.2007, p.11) by Commission Regulation (EU) No. 1266/2010 (OJ No. L347, 31.12.2010, p.27). This Directive itself amends Annex IIIa to Directive 2000/13/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards certain food ingredients (OJ No. L109, 6.5.2000, p.29). The ingredients in question are those that are likely to cause an allergic reaction in some consumers.

These Regulations amend the principal Regulations in respect of the labelling requirements for foods containing allergenic ingredients, including labelling exemptions for certain processed forms of those ingredients, by extending from 31st December 2010 to 30th June 2012 the transitional period for egg-derived lysozyme and for albumin (produced from egg) or milk (casein) products when used as fining agents in wine, in respect of wines that are marked, labelled or sold before that date (regulation 2).