§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement as to the effects on the traditional British chocolate bar of the EU chocolate directive; and what is Her Majesty's Government's position on the directive. [1324]
§ Mr. BrowningThe existing EC Cocoa and Chocolate Products Directive, which was agreed in 1973, lays down, amongst other things, compositional standards for chocolate. Under this directive, the United Kingdom may manufacture, and sell as such, chocolate containing vegetable fat other than cocoa butter. The directive also specifies compositional standards for "milk chocolate" manufactured and sold in the United Kingdom and Ireland; this standard is different from that set for milk chocolate manufactured and sold in other member states.
The EC Commission is undertaking a review of this directive but has not yet placed a proposal before the Council.
Our objective is to see that the compositional standards in the new directive fully cover the wide variety of consumer tastes already established within the Community and that the directive ensures free circulation of all traditional styles of chocolate and chocolate products.
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