I welcome you all to the 1st meeting in 2010 of the Health and Sport Committee. I remind everyone to switch off mobile phones and other electronic equipment. Apologies have been received from Mary Scanlon and Helen Eadie. Our only item of business today is consideration of two negative instruments. Members have copies of the instruments before them, as well as a note from the clerk.
Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2009 (SSI 2009/426)
The regulations further amend the Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (Scotland) Regulations 2007 (SSI 2007/471) in order to provide for the execution and enforcement of European Commission regulation (EC) No 450/2009 on active and intelligent materials and articles intended to come into contact with food. The regulations also amend the definition of “import” in the principal regulations. The Subordinate Legislation Committee had no comments to make on the regulations. If members have no comments, is the committee content to make no recommendations on the regulations?
Food for Particular Nutritional Uses (Addition of Substances for Specific Nutritional Purposes) (Scotland) Regulations 2009 (SSI 2009/427)
I understand that.
The regulations, which extend to Scotland only, make provision for the execution and enforcement of Commission regulation (EC) No 953/2009 on substances that may be added for specific nutritional purposes in foods for particular nutritional uses, as well as repeal and replace Commission directive 2001/15/EC on substances that may be added for specific nutritional purposes in food for particular nutritional uses. It sounds like something out of Monty Python, but I hope that you are following the script.
I am marginally surprised that the introduction of tryptophan is being allowed, because it is used in medicine as an antidepressant. However, if the EC, in its wisdom, has decided that that is appropriate, I suppose that it must be. It seems slightly strange, though, that tryptophan should be added to food rather than to anything else.
Your comments are well noted, but the regulations are in relation to an EC directive, so there is no room for manoeuvre.
That being the only comment, are members content to make no recommendations on the regulations?
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