§ Sir Peter Millsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he intends to revise the Soft Drinks Regulations 1964; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonThe Government indicated in their White Paper on "Lifting the Burden" that they would review the Soft Drinks Regulations 1964. This has now been done and I shall be issuing proposals under the Food Act 1984 for revised regulations on soft drinks. These proposals will concentrate only on the following points:
- (i) a requirement to declare the fruit or fruit juice content on the labels of soft drinks which are derived wholly or mainly from such sources;
- (ii) minimum compositional standards only for soda water and Indian tonic water;
- (iii) continuing the present requirements for "low calorie"
25 drinks; - (iv) continuing the present controls on the maximum amount of saccharin that can he used in soft drinks.
Many of the provisions in the current regulations will be revoked, notably those imposing minimum sugar content requirements and the minimum compositional requirements for fruit-based or fruit juice-based drinks. These proposals are therefore in keeping with the Government's policy of simplifying or removing regulations wherever it is appropriate to do so.