EUROPE – A draft proposal has been published by the European Commission for a directive on the addition of vitamins, minerals and other substances to food.

This area of the food industry is largely unregulated by the Commission, with member states devising their own rules which vary hugely between countries. The aim of the new proposal is to ease trade in fortified products as well as protect consumers against any health risks.

The new regulation, SANCO/329/03, will be discussed at an expert meeting in Brussels at the beginning of March and the UK’s Food Standards Agency is calling for any comments regarding the proposal to be submitted by 26 February.