Regulations, 2009

L.N. 317 of 2009

FOOD SAFETY ACT

(CAP. 449)

The Nutrition Labelling for Foodstuffs (Amendment)

Regulations, 2009

IN exercise of the powers conferred by article 10 of the Food

Safety Act, the Minister for Social Policy has made the following

regulations:-

(1) The title of these regulations is the Nutrition

Labelling for Foodstuffs (Amendment) Regulations, 2009, and they

shall be read and construed as one with the Nutrition Labelling

for Foodstuffs Regulations, 1998, hereinafter referred to as “the

principal regulations”.

(2) These regulations shall enter into force on the 31st

October, 2009.

(1) These regulations implement the provisions of

Commission Directive 2008/100/EC amending Council Directive

90/496/EEC on nutrition labelling for foodstuffs as regards

recommended daily allowances, energy conversion factors and

definitions.

(2) The trade in products which do not comply with

Directive 90/496/EEC, as amended by Directive 2008/100/EC shall

be prohibited as from 31 October 2012.

For regulation 3 of the principal regulations there shall be

substituted the following:-

“3. In these regulations, unless the context otherwise

requires

“average value” means such value as best represents

the amount of the nutrient which a given food contains,

and reflects allowances for seasonal variability, patterns

of consumption and other factors which may cause the

actual value to vary;

“carbohydrates” means any carbohydrate which is

metabolised in man, and includes polyols;

“fat” means

total

lipids,

and

includes

phospholipids;

“fibre” means a material as defined in the Second

Schedule to these regulations;

“mono-unsaturates” means fatty acids with one cis

double bond;

“nutrition claim” means any representation or

advertising message which states, suggests or implies

that a foodstuff has particular nutrition properties due to

the energy (calorific value) which it provides at a reduced

or increased rate, or does not provide, and, or due to the

nutrients which it

(a) contains,

(b) contains

in

reduced

or

increased

proportions,

(c) or does not contain

Provided that a reference to qualities or quantities

of a nutrient shall not constitute a nutrition claim in so far

as it is required by other legislation;

“nutrition labelling” means any

information

appearing on labelling and relating to

(a) energy value;

(b) the following nutrients

(i) protein,

(ii) carbohydrate,

(iii) fat,

(iv) fibre,

(v) sodium,

(vi) vitamins and minerals listed in

the First Schedule to these regulations and

present in significant amounts as defined in

that Schedule ;

“polyunsaturates” means fatty acids with cis, cis-

methylene interrupted double bonds;

“protein” means the protein content calculated using

the formula

protein = total Kjeldahl nitrogen x 6.25;

“saturates” means fatty acids without double bond;

“sugars” means all monosaccharides and

disaccharides present in food, but excludes polyols.”.

Immediately after the entry ‘salatrims’ in regulation 6 of

the principal regulations, there shall be added the following

“ - fibre

2kcal/g – 8kJ/g

- erythritol 0kcal/g – 0kJ/g. ”.

In sub-regulation (4) of regulation 7 of the principal

regulations, for the words “the Schedule”, there shall be substituted

the words “the First Schedule”.

The Schedule to the principal regulations shall be deleted.

Immediately after regulation 7 of the principal regulations,

there shall be added the following schedule:-

“FIRST SCHEDULE

Regulation 7(4)

Vitamins and minerals which may be declared and their

recommended daily allowances (RDAs)

Vitamin A (μg)

Vitamin D (μg)

Vitamin E (mg)

Vitamin K (μg)

Vitamin C (mg)

Thiamin (mg)

1,1

Riboflavin (mg)

1,4

Niacin (mg)

Vitamin B6 (mg)

1,4

Folic acid (μg)

Vitamin B12 (μg)

2,5

Biotin (μg)

Pantothenic acid (mg)

Potassium (mg)

2 000

Chloride (mg)

Calcium (mg)

Phosphorus (mg)

Magnesium (mg)

Iron (mg)

Zinc (mg)

Copper (mg)

Manganese (mg)

Fluoride (mg)

3,5

Selenium (μg)

Chromium (μg)

Molybdenum (μg)

Iodine (μg)

As a rule, 15 % of the recommended allowance specified in this

Schedule supplied by 100 g or 100 ml or per package if the package

contains only a single portion should be taken into consideration in

deciding what constitutes a significant amount.”.

Immediately after the First Schedule to the principal

regulations, there shall be added the following new schedule

“SECOND SCHEDULE

Regulation 3

Definition of the material constituting fibre

For the purposes of these regulations, ‘fibre’ means carbohydrate

polymers with three or more monomeric units, which are neither

digested nor absorbed in the human small intestine and belong to the

following characters

- edible carbohydrate polymers naturally occurring in

the food as consumed;

-

edible carbohydrate polymers which have been

obtained from food raw material by physical, enzymatic or

chemical means and which have a beneficial physiological effect

demonstrated by generally accepted scientific evidence;

- edible synthetic carbohydrate polymers which have

a beneficial physiological effect demonstrated by generally

accepted scientific evidence.”.

B

B

€0.56