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Consultation: Fruit juices and similar products for human consumption
31 August 2013
The rules
concerning the protection, composition and labelling of fruit juices and
certain similar products within the Union, should be adapted to technical
progress and should, as far as possible, take account of developments in
relevant international standards.
Indeed, the Codex General Standard, adapted in 2005, establishes quality
factors and labelling requirements for fruit juices and nectars. Without
prejudice to Directive 2000/13/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council
of 20 March 2000, presentation and advertising of foodstuffs, it is necessary
to amend the specific provisions of Directive 2001/112/EC to reflect the new rules on authorised
ingredients. For example, added sugars should continue to be labelled in
accordance with Directive 2000/13/EC.
The nutrition claim ‘with no added
sugars', as listed in the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, has been used
in relation to fruit juices for quite a long time. Yet, due to its
disappearance after a transitional period, an immediate clear distinction might
not be made between fruit juices and other drinks in terms of the addition of
sugars in the products resulting in certain harm to the fruit juices sector.
In order to
enable the industry to inform consumers properly, it should be possible to use,
for a limited time, a statement indicating that no fruit juices contain added
sugars.
With
regards to economic operators, it is necessary to establish appropriate
transitional measures. Hence, this Directive should provide that those products
may continue to be marketed for a limited time beyond the transposition period.
Comments
are to reach the Technical Regulations Division by Thursday 19 September 2013,
using the following contact details on .
