The Processed Cereal-based Foods and Baby Foods for Infants and Young Children Regulations 1997

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations, which come into force on 31st March 1999, apply to Great Britain and implement Commission Directive 96/5/EC (OJ No. L49, 28.2.96, p. 17) on processed cereal-based foods and baby foods for infants and young children.

The Regulations—

(a) exempt from their application any baby food which is a milk intended for young children (regulation 2);

(b) prohibit the sale of any processed cereal-based food or baby food unless it complies with the labelling requirements in regulation 4 and the manufacturing and compositional requirements in regulation 5 (regulation 3);

(c) prescribe labelling requirements (regulation 4 and Schedule 5);

(d) prescribe manufacturing and compositional requirements (regulation 5 and Schedules 1, 2, 3 and 4);

(e) create offences and prescribe penalties (regulation 6);

(f) specify the enforcement authorities (regulation 7);

(g) provide a defence in relation to exports in accordance with Articles 2 and 3 of, as read with the ninth recital to, Council Directive 89/397/EEC (OJ No. L186, 30.6.89, p. 23) on the official control of foodstuffs (regulation 8); and

(h) apply various sections of the Food Safety Act 1990 (regulation 9) including those relating to enforcement and defences.

A compliance cost assessment of the effect that these Regulations would have on the cost of business is available from the Food Labelling and Standards Division, Branch A, of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Ergon House, 17, Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR.