(1)

The Swedish language version of Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 contains an erroneous value in the first and second rows of Category Chronic 3, in point (b)(iii) in Table 4.1.0 of Annex I.

(2)

The Swedish language version of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 should therefore be corrected accordingly. The other language versions are not affected,

(1)

Pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, Cyprus’s application to register the name ‘Χοιρομέρι Πιτσιλιάς’ (Hiromeri Pitsilias) was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (2).

(2)

As no statement of opposition under Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 has been received by the Commission, the name ‘Χοιρομέρι Πιτσιλιάς’ (Hiromeri Pitsilias) should therefore be entered in the register,

(1)

In accordance with the first subparagraph of Article 53(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, the Commission has examined Portugal’s application for the approval of amendments to the specification for the protected designation of origin ‘Queijo Terrincho’, registered under Commission Regulation (EC) No 1107/96 (2).

(2)

Since the amendments in question are not minor within the meaning of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, the Commission published the amendment application in the Official Journal of the European Union (3) as required by Article 50(2)(a) of that Regulation.

(3)

As no statement of opposition under Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 has been received by the Commission, the amendments to the specification should be approved,

(1)

Pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, Greece’s application to register the name ‘Ρόδι Ερμιόνης’ (Rodi Ermionis) was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (2).

(2)

As no statement of opposition under Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 has been received by the Commission, the name ‘Ρόδι Ερμιόνης’ (Rodi Ermionis) should therefore be entered in the register,

(1)

Council Regulation (EU) 2020/123 (2) lays down quotas for 2020.

(2)

According to the information received by the Commission, catches of the stock of witch flounder in NAFO 3NO area by vessels flying the flag of or registered in Member States of the European Union have exhausted the quota allocated for 2020.

(3)

It is therefore necessary to prohibit certain fishing activities for that stock,

(1)

Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 provides for the authorisation of additives for use in animal nutrition and for the grounds and procedures for granting such authorisation. Article 10(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 provides for the re-evaluation of additives authorised pursuant to Council Directive 70/524/EEC (2).

(2)

Saponified paprika (Capsicum annuum) extract (capsanthin) was authorised without a time limit in accordance with Directive 70/524/EEC as feed additive for poultry belonging to the group ‘colourants, including pigments’, under the heading ‘carotenoids and xanthophylls’. The additive was subsequently entered in the Register of feed additives as an existing product, in accordance with Article 10(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003.

(3)

In accordance with Article 10(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 in conjunction with Article 7 thereof, an application was submitted for the re-evaluation of saponified paprika (Capsicum annuum) extract (capsanthin) as a feed additive for chickens for fattening, minor poultry species for fattening, laying hens and minor poultry species for laying. The applicant requested the additive to be classified in the additive category ‘sensory additives’ and in the functional group ‘colourants: (ii) substances which, when fed to animals, add colours to food of animal origin’. The application was accompanied by the particulars and documents required under Article 7(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003.

(4)

The European Food Safety Authority (‘the Authority’) concluded in its opinion of 29 January 2020 (3) that, under the proposed conditions of use, saponified paprika (Capsicum annuum) extract does not have an adverse effect on animal health, consumer safety or the environment. It stated that, the conclusion on the safety of saponified paprika (Capsicum annuum) extract (capsanthin) for chickens for fattening and for laying hens, can be extrapolated to minor poultry for fattening and for laying. It also concluded that the active substance is a viscous paste, so operators will not be exposed by inhalation to the active substance. The applicant recognises that the active substance may be irritant to skin and eyes. Therefore, the Commission considers that appropriate protective measures should be taken to prevent adverse effects on human heath, in particular as regards the users of the additive, including the use of the additives in the form a preparation, where toxicity by inhalation, skin/eye irritation or skin sensitisation cannot be excluded. The Authority further concluded that the additive is efficacious as it has the potential to pigment broiler skin and egg yolk. This conclusion is extrapolated to minor poultry species for fattening and laying. The Authority does not consider that there is a need for specific requirements of post-market monitoring. It also verified the report on the method of analysis of the feed additive in feed submitted by the European Union Reference Laboratory set up by Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003.

(5)

The assessment of saponified paprika (Capsicum annuum) extract (capsanthin) shows that the conditions for authorisation, as provided for in Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003, are satisfied. Accordingly, the use of that additive should be authorised as specified in the Annex to this Regulation.

(6)

Since safety reasons do not require the immediate application of the modifications to the conditions of authorisation of the substances concerned, it is appropriate to allow a transitional period for interested parties to prepare themselves to meet the new requirements resulting from the authorisation.

(7)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,

(1)

Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 lays down a Union list of food additives approved for use in food and their conditions of use.

(2)

That list may be updated in accordance with the common procedure referred to in Article 3(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1331/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2), either on the initiative of the Commission or following an application.

(3)

Pursuant to Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, ascorbic acid (E 300) and citric acid (E 330) are currently authorised for use as food additives in a wide variety of foods.

(4)

On 17 December 2018, the Commission received an application for the modification of the conditions of use of ascorbic acid (E 300) and citric acid (E 330) contained in food category 04.1.2 ‘Peeled, cut and shredded fruit and vegetables’, to authorise the use of these substances on white vegetables intended for further processing, including heat treatment such as roasting, steaming or grilling, before they are consumed by the final consumer.

(5)

When sliced, cut, chopped or diced, white vegetables are susceptible to enzymatic browning as the cells are broken down liberating enzymes, in particular polyphenol oxidases, from the tissues. Enzymatic browning can be controlled by dipping the vegetables into a water solution containing ascorbic acid (E 300) and citric acid (E 330) at a maximum concentration of 1 % for a couple of minutes. It results from the application that, the proposed use of these additives as antioxidants on unprocessed vegetables intended for further processing, including heat treatment, prior to consumption results in reduced food waste by increasing the overall food quality and the shelf-life of the treated vegetables, up to five days.

(6)

Pursuant to Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1331/2008, the Commission has to seek the opinion of the European Food Safety Authority (‘the Authority’) in order to update the Union list of food additives set out in Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, except where the update in question is not liable to have an effect on human health.

(7)

On 6 May 2015, the Authority published a scientific opinion re-evaluating among others the safety of ascorbic acid (E 300) as a food additive. The Authority concluded that there is no safety concern for the use of ascorbic acid (E 300) as a food additive at the reported uses and use levels and there is no need for a numerical acceptable daily intake (‘ADI’) for ascorbic acid and its salts. Such a conclusion means that the substance is of a very low safety concern, there is reliable information for exposure and toxicity and there is a low probability of adverse health effects in humans at doses that do not induce nutritional imbalance in animals (3).

(8)

The safety of citric acid (E 330) was evaluated in 1990 by the Scientific Committee for Food, which established its ADI as ‘not specified’ (4). The term ‘not specified’ means that, on the basis of the available toxicological, biochemical and clinical data, the total daily intake of the substance, arising from its natural occurrence and its present use or uses in food at the levels necessary to achieve the desired technological effect, does not present a hazard to health. Pending the re-evaluation of citric acid (E 330) under the program for the re-evaluation of food additives laid down in Commission Regulation (EU) No 257/2010 (5), the Commission considers that this safety assessment remains a valid basis for its decision for the same reasons why it considered then, on the basis of the criteria mentioned in recital 5 of that Regulation, that Citric acid (E 330) was of low concern and that its re-evaluation was not a high priority.

(9)

Since the use of ascorbic acid (E 300) and citric acid (E 330) as antioxidants on prepacked white vegetables intended for further processing, including heat treatment, prior to consumption is not liable to have an effect on human health, it is not necessary to seek the opinion of the Authority.

(10)

Therefore, Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 should be amended accordingly.

(11)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,