Brussels, 25/05/2000 (Agence Europe) - The new rules which will generalise within the Union the authorisation to incorporate a limited percentage of vegetable fats from tropical origins other than cocoa butter into chocolate manufacture (up to 5% maximum of the weight of the finished product) were formally adopted on Thursday by the EU15 ministers and will come into application within about three years.
Taking on board the amendment in second reading by the Parliament to the Council's common position (see EUROPE of 16 March, p.11), the Internal Market Council proceeded without debate to the formal adoption of the text amending the 1973 directive on cocoa and chocolate products. The amended directive is reputed to have been approved by qualified majority, according to the result of votes expressed during the adoption of the common position, that is, with the counter vote by Belgium and the Netherlands and abstention by Luxembourg. During Thursday's session, the delegations voted solely on the amendment by the EP, that Belgium is the only Member State to have refused.
EUROPE recalls that the amended directive aims to harmonise within the Union the rules for chocolate manufacture, extending to all Member States the possibility of resorting in all lawfulness to a practice already in force in seven countries which was official or de facto exemption from the 1973 directive. Once in force, all Member States will have to accept on their territory the chocolate containing the authorised percentage of substitute vegetable fats; but chocolate producers wishing to continue only using cocoa butter will be free to do so. The labelling provisions will authorise these producers to mention that their product is made of "pure cocoa" or to use the denomination "guaranteed traditional speciality" and will make it compulsory for others to denote the presence of cocoa substitutes near the list of ingredients. This should allow consumers to make a free choice of purchase. The limit of substitute vegetable fats to a list of six products of tropical origin aims to restrict potentially negative effects that these new rules could have on developing countries.