Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland
1999 No. 142

FOOD
Processed Cereal-based Foods and Baby Foods for Infants and Young Children (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999

Made
22nd March 1999

Coming into operation
4th May 1999

The Department of Health and Social Services in exercise of the powers conferred on it by Articles 15(1), 16(1), 25(1)(a) and (3), 26(3) and 47(2) of the Food Safety (Northern Ireland) Order 1991(1) and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, and after consultation in accordance with Article 47(3) of the said Order with such organisations as appear to it to be representative of interests likely to be substantially affected by the Regulations, hereby makes the following Regulations:—

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Processed Cereal-based Foods and Baby Foods for Infants and Young Children (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999 and shall come into operation on 4th May 1999.

(2) In these Regulations “the principal Regulations” means the Processed Cereal-based Foods and Baby Foods for Infants and Young Children Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997(2).

Amendment of the principal Regulations

2.  The principal Regulations shall be amended as follows—

(a)in paragraph (2) of regulation 1 (citation, commencement and interpretation) after the definition of “baby foods” there shall be inserted—

““the Directive” means Commission Directive 96/5/EC(3) on processed cereal-based food and baby foods for infants and young children as amended by Commission Directive 98/36/EC(4);”;

(b)for paragraph (3) of regulation 1 there shall be substituted—

“(3) Other expressions used in these Regulations and in the Directive have the same meaning as they have in the Directive.”;

(c)after paragraph (3) of regulation 1 there shall be inserted—

“(4) Any requirement in these regulations, in so far as it relates to compliance with Schedule 2, shall be treated, in the period starting with 4th May 1999 and ending with 31st December 1999, as capable of being satisfied to that extent by compliance with that Schedule either in its entirety or without paragraphs 1.3a, 1.4a and 1.4b.”;

(d)in paragraph (b) of regulation 3 (conditions for the sale of processed cereal-based foods and baby foods), after “regulation 5” there shall be added “and, if the sale takes place after 31st December 1999, regulation 5A”;

(e)in regulation 5 (manufacture and composition of processed cereal-based foods and baby foods), for paragraph (c) there shall be substituted—

“(c)which—

(i)contains any added nutritional substance other than a nutritional substance specified in Schedule 4; or

(ii)if manufactured with a view to sale after 31st December 1999, contains any added nutrient in column 1 of Part I of Schedule 6 in an amount exceeding the maximum limit specified opposite that substance in column 2 of that Part; or”;

(f)after regulation 5 there shall be inserted—

“Maximum limits for added nutrients for specified foods

5A.  No person shall, with a view to sale after 31st December 1999, manufacture any processed cereal-based food or baby food specified in column 1 of Part II of Schedule 6 which contains any added nutrient specified opposite that food in column 2 of that Part in an amount exceeding the maximum limit specified opposite that food in column 3 of that Part.”;

(g)in regulation 6 (penalties), for “regulation 3, 4 or 5” there shall be substituted “regulation 3, 4, 5 or 5A”;

(h)for paragraph (1)(b) of regulation 8 (defence in relation to exports) there shall be substituted—

“(b)that the legislation complies with the provisions of the Directive in the case of export to an EEA State”;

(i)in Schedule 2 (essential composition of baby foods for infants and young children)—

(i)after paragraph 1.3 there shall be inserted—

“1.3a.  If cheese is mentioned together with other ingredients in the name of a savoury product, whether or not the product is presented as a meal, then:

the protein from the dairy sources shall not be less than 0£5g/100kJ (2.2g/100 kcal),

the total protein in the product from all sources shall not be less than 0£7g/100kJ (3g/100kcal).”; and

(ii)after paragraph 1.4 there shall be inserted—

“1.4a.  Sauces presented as an accompaniment to a meal are exempt from the requirement of paragraphs 1.1 to 1.4.

1.4b.  Sweet dishes that mention dairy products as the first or only ingredient in the name shall contain not less than 2.2g dairy protein/100 kcal. All other sweet dishes are exempt from the requirements in paragraphs 1.1 to 1.4.”; and

(j)after Schedule 5 (reference value for nutrition labelling for foods intended for infants and young children) there shall be inserted the contents of the Schedule.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health and Social Services on

L.S.
John O'Neill
Assistant Secretary
22nd March 1999.

Regulation 2(j)
SCHEDULE

Regulations 5(c)(ii) and 5A

“SCHEDULE 6Maximum limits for Vitamins, Minerals and Trace Elements, if added, in Processed Cereal-Based Foods and Baby Foods intended for Infants and Young Children

PART IGeneral

Nutrient

Maximum limit per 100 kcal(1)

(1)
Unless otherwise stated in column 2 of Part I or column 3 of Part II the maximum limits specified in those columns apply to food ready for use, whether marketed as such or reconstituted as instructed by the manufacturer.

Vitamin E
3 mg α-TE

Riboflavin
0.4 mg

Niacin
4.5 mg NE

Vitamin B6
0.35 mg

Folic acid
50 μg

Vitamin B12
0.35 μg

Pantothenic acid
1.5 mg

Biotin
10 μg

Potassium
160 mg (of the food as sold)

Magnesium
40 mg

Iron
3 mg

Zinc
2 mg

Copper
40 μg

Iodine
35 μg

Manganese
0.6 mg

PART IISPECIFIED FOODS

Food
Nutrient

Maximum limit per 100 kcal(1)

(1)
Unless otherwise stated in column 2 of Part I or column 3 of Part II the maximum limits specified in those columns apply to food ready for use, whether marketed as such or reconstituted as instructed by the manufacturer.

(2)
RE = all trans retinol equivalents.”

1. Vegetable juices which are baby foods
Vitamin A

180 μg RE(2)

2. Food fortified with iron
Vitamin C
25 mg

3. Fruit based dishes, fruit juices, nectars or vegetable juices
Vitamin C
125 mg

4. Food other than that within entry number 2 or 3 above
Vitamin C
12.5 mg

5. Processed cereal-based food
Thiamin
0.5 mg

6. Baby food
Thiamin
0.25 mg

7. Food within paragraph 1 or 2 of Part I of Schedule 1
Calcium
180 mg (of the food as sold)

8. Food within paragraph 4 of Part I of Schedule 1
Calcium
100 mg (of the food as sold)

9. Food other than that within entry number 7 or 8 above
Calcium
80 mg (of the food as sold)

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)
These Regulations amend the Processed Cereal-based Foods and Baby Foods for Infants and Young Children Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 (“the principal Regulations”) in implementation of Commission Directive 98/36/EC (O.J. No. L167, 12.6.98, p. 23) amending Directive 96/5/EC on processed cereal-based foods and baby foods for infants and young children.
The Regulations—
(a)prohibit the manufacture and sale of processed cereal-based food and baby food which contains any specified added nutrient in excess of the maximum limit (regulation 2(d) to (f), (g) and (j) and the Schedule)'
(b)in relation to the compositional requirements for baby foods for infants and young children—

(i)apply specific protein requirements to food an ingredient of which is cheese and to specified sweet dishes; and

(ii)exempt specified sauces and sweet dishes other than those specified from the protein requirements (regulation 2(i)); and
(c)bring up to date references to the earlier Directive (regulation (2)(a), (b) and (h)).
The Regulations come into operation on 4th May 1999 but certain new requirements imposed by them apply to sales (or to manufacture with a view to sale) after the end of 1999 (regulation 2(d), (e) and (f)).
During the period 4th May 1999 to 31st December 1999 baby foods may be manufactured or sold if they either—
(a)comply with Schedule 2 of the principal Regulations as amended by these Regulations; or
(b)comply with that Schedule as it stood before amendment by these Regulations (regulation 2(c)).


(1)
S.I. 1991/762 (N.I. 7) as amended by S.I. 1996/1633 (N.I. 12). See Article 2(2) for the definitions of “the Department concerned” and “regulations”.

(2)
S.R. 1997 No. 432

(3)
O.J. No. L49, 28.2.96, p. 17

(4)
O.J. No. L167, 12.6.98, p. 23