Statutory Instruments

1999 No. 982

FOOD

The Sweeteners in Food (Amendment) Regulations 1999

Made

24th March 1999

Laid before Parliament

30th March 1999

Coming into force

22nd April 1999

The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Secretary of State for Health and the Secretary of State for Wales, acting jointly, in relation to England and Wales, and the Secretary of State for Scotland in relation to Scotland, in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 6(4), 16(1)(a) and (e), 17(1), 26(1) and (3) and 48(1) of, and paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 to, the Food Safety Act 1990(1) and of all other powers enabling them in that behalf, hereby make the following Regulations, after consultation in accordance with section 48(4) of the said Act with such organisations as appear to them to be representative of interests likely to be substantially affected by the Regulations.

Title, commencement and interpretation

1.-(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Sweeteners in Food (Amendment) Regulations 1999 and shall come into force on 22nd April 1999.

(2) In these Regulations "the principal Regulations" means the Sweeteners in Food Regulations 1995(2).

Amendment of the principal Regulations

2. The principal Regulations shall be amended by the addition, at the end of the definition of "Directive 95/31/EC" in regulation 2(1), of the words "as amended by Directive 98/66/EC (3)".

Consequential provision

3.-(1) References to the principal Regulations in the provisions listed in paragraph (2) below shall be taken to be references to the principal Regulations as amended up to and including the amendment effected by these Regulations.

(2) The provisions to which paragraph (1) above refers are-�

(a)the definition of "permitted sweetener" in regulation 2(1) (interpretation) of each of-�

(i)the Jam and Similar Products Regulations 1981(4), and

(ii)the Jam and Similar Products (Scotland) Regulations 1981(5);

(b)the definition of "additive" in regulation 2(1) (interpretation) of each of-�

(i)the Meat Products and Spreadable Fish Products Regulations 1984(6), and

(ii)the Meat Products and Spreadable Fish Products (Scotland) Regulations 1984(7);

(c)the definition of "sweetener" in Part II of Schedule 1 (categories of food additives) to the Food Additives Labelling Regulations 1992(8);

(d)the definition of "sweetener" in regulation 2(1) (interpretation) of the Miscellaneous Food Additives Regulations 1995(9); and

(e)in the Food Labelling Regulations 1996(10)-�

(i)paragraph (1) of regulation 34 (foods containing sweeteners, added sugar and sweeteners, aspartame or polyols); and

(ii)in Schedule 8 (misleading descriptions) Part 1 (general), the condition in column 2 opposite the description "ice cream" in column 1.

Jeff Rooker

Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

23rd March 1999

Signed by the authority of the Secretary of State for Health

Tessa Jowell

Minister of State for Public Health,

Department of Health

22nd March 1999

Signed by the authority of the Secretary of State for Wales

Jon Owen Jones

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Welsh Office

23rd March 1999

Sam Galbraith

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Scottish Office

24th March 1999

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations, which apply to Great Britain, further amend the Sweeteners in Food Regulations 1995, by bringing up to date a reference to Directive 95/31/EC on specific purity criteria so as to cover its amendment by Directive 98/66/EC, which changed the specification for isomalt, and by bringing up to date references to the 1995 Regulations in other Regulations.

No regulatory impact assessment has been prepared in relation to these Regulations.

(1)

1990 c. 16; "the Ministers" is defined in section 4(1) of the Act. Section 6(4) of the Act was amended by paragraph 6 of Schedule 9 to the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994 (c. 40).

(2)

S.I. 1995/3123, amended by S.I. 1996/1477, 1997/814.

(3)

OJ No. L257, 19.9.98, p.35.

(4)

S.I. 1981/1063; relevant amending instruments are S.I. 1983/1211 and 1995/3123.

(5)

S.I. 1981/1320; relevant amending instruments are S.I. 1983/1497 and 1995/3123.

(6)

S.I. 1984/1566; relevant amending instruments are S.I. 1995/3123, 1995/3124 and 1995/3187.

(7)

S.I. 1984/1714; relevant amending instruments are S.I. 1995/3123. 1995/3124 and 1995/3187.

(8)

S.I. 1992/1978; relevant amending instrument is S.I. 1995/3123.

(9)

S.I. 1995/3187; to which there is an amendment not relevant to these Regulations.

(10)

S.I. 1996/1499; to which there are amendments not relevant to these Regulations.