The Jam and Similar Products Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2018

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations provide for the continuing implementation of Council Directive 2001/113/EC relating to fruit jams, jellies and marmalades and sweetened chestnut purée intended for human consumption (OJ No L 10, 12.1.2002, p. 67). They also retain existing national measures relating to curds, lemon cheese and mincemeat.

The Regulations—

(a) regulate the use of the names “jam”, “extra jam”, “jelly”, “extra jelly”, “marmalade”, “jelly marmalade”, “sweetened chestnut purée”, “curd”, “lemon cheese” and “mincemeat”. Subject to an exception, those names may only be used if the requirements in the relevant part of Schedule 3 are met by the product (regulation 4 and Schedules 1, 2 and 3);

(b) require the product name to indicate the kinds of fruits used to manufacture the product (regulation 5);

(c) require the labelling of the product to indicate its fruit content (regulation 6);

(d) require the labelling of the product to indicate its total sugar content (regulation 7);

(e) make provision in relation to residual sulphur dioxide (regulation 8);

(f) impose an obligation on district councils to enforce the Regulations (regulation 9);

(g) apply certain provisions of the Food Safety (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 (S.I. 1991/762 (N.I.7) as amended). This includes the application of Article 9, enabling an improvement notice to be served to require compliance with specified provisions of these Regulations. The provisions, as applied, make the failure to comply with an improvement notice an offence (regulation 10 and Schedule 4); and

(h) revoke the Jam and Similar Products Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 (S.R. 2003 No. 519) (regulation 11).