| Foodstuffs intended
to satisfy particular nutritional requirements of specific
groups of the population are called "foods for particular
nutritional uses", "dietetic foods" or "dietary
foods", which may sometimes be referred to as "PARNUTS"
foods.
Council Directive 89/398/EEC 
as amended by:
Council Directive 96/84/EC
of the European Parliament and of the Council and
Council Directive 1999/41/EC
of the European Parliament and of the Council sets out a framework
of rules for the composition, marketing and labelling requirements
of dietetic foods, including measures to ensure the appropriate
use of such foods and to exclude any risk to human health.
The framework directive lists the following
groups of dietary foods for which specific rules shall be
set out by Commission Directives:
The framework directive requires the
Commission to prepare a report on foods intended for people
suffering from diabetes.
The Commission is also required to
define the conditions for making claims concerning the reduction
or absence of sodium (or salt) in foods and the absence of
gluten in foods. The Scientific Committee on Food has produced
a report on low sodium and salt substitutes. The scientific
basis, with respect to the content of gluten of a food, for
making a claim "gluten-free" is not conclusive. The subject
is being considered at an international level under the Codex
Alimentarius Commission, within the Joint FAO/WHO Foods Standards
Programme. The Commission is closely following these discussions.
The nutritional substances that can
be added to foods for particular nutritional uses are controlled
either through positive lists included in the specific directives
or by
Commission Directive 2001/15/EC
,
as last amended by Commission Directive 2004/5/EC
of 20 January 2004 amending Directive 2001/15/EC to include
additional substances to the Annex. Through Commission Directive
2004/6/EC
of 20 January 2004 derogating from 2001/15/EC to
postpone the application of the prohibition of trade to certain
products Member States may continue to allow the use of certain
nutritional substances until the end of 2006.”
The directives on infant formulae,
follow-on formulae and weaning foods include lists of nutritional
substances that may be added to these foods. The lists
included in
Directive 2001/15/EC
are based on the scientific advice of the SCF and apply to
all other dietary food groups that are covered by the framework
Directive 89/398/EEC.
Scientific Advice
Statement on L-serine and some amino acid salts for use
in foods for particular nutritional purposes (expressed on
4 April 2003)
Opinion of the Scientific Committee on Food on substances
for nutritional purposes which have been proposed for use
in the manufacture of foods for particular nutritional purposes
(‘PARNUTS’) (expressed on 12/5/99)
Report of the Scientific Committee for Food on foods for
particular nutritional uses whose sodium content has been
modified. Low sodium foods and salt substitutes (adopted on
9 December 1991)
SCADPlus : Legislation on foodstuffs intended for particular
nutritional uses |
