2023-03 EU SPECIALTY FOOD INGREDIENTS ATTENDS THE 43RD SESSION OF THE CODEX COMMITTEE ON NUTRITION AND FOODS FOR SPECIAL DIETARY USES (CCNFSDU)

EU Specialty Food Ingredients‘ delegation attended the 43^rd Session of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) which was held from 7^th till 10^th March in Düsseldorf, Germany. The adoption of the report took place online on 15^th March.

The 43^rd Session of the Committee, which marked the 60^th anniversary of the Codex Alimentarius, concluded 10 years of work on the Review of the Codex Standard for Follow-up Formula, as the Commitee agreed to send the draft standard to the Codex Alimentarius Commission for adoption in November 2023.

In addition to the Plenary Session of the Committee, EU Specialty Food Ingredients attended meeting of the Physical Working Group (PWG) on General Principles for the Establishment of developing Codex nutrient reference values (NRVs-R) for Persons aged 6 – 36 months, and the PWG on the prioritization mechanism / emerging issues or new work, which discussed, inter alia, proposals for a new work on Harmonized probiotic guidelines for use in foods and food supplements and Guidelines including General Principles for the Nutritional Composition of foods and beverages made from plant- based and other alternative protein sources.

During In-session Working Groups, the Codex Members and Observers discussed technological justification of several food additives used in foods for infants, as wells as methods of analysis for several nutrients and optional ingredients such as fructans (non-digestible oligosaccharides), beta-carotene and lycopene in the context of optional ingredients in infant formula.

All these topics were further discussed in the Plenary and the Committee agreed to establish several Electronic Working Groups (EWGs), which will be working on the discussed points to advance the work in preparation for the next Session which will take place in autumn 2024.

EU Specialty Food Ingredients will continue to follow and contribute to the work of CCNFSDU in the EWG on Proposed draft General Principles for Establishing NRVs-R for Persons Aged 6 – 36 Months, EWG on the technological justification for the next batch of food additives used in foods for infants, EWG on the revision of the prioritization mechanism, EWG established in order to refine and clarify the proposal for harmonized probiotic guidelines for use in foods and food supplements, as well as in the EWG on the review the use of fructans, beta-carotene and lycopene in the context of optional ingredients in Codex Standard for infant formula and formulas for special medical purposes intended for infants.