means. The Alliance supports these guidelines and wants to ensure that the benefits of biotechnology for all parties are not lost through excessive Report of the Biscuit, demands by consumer groups. OTHER LEGISLATION ISSUES In May 1997, a recommendation Cake, Chocolate and was made to set up a Food Stan- dards Agency.The Alliance has wel- comed the setting up of such an Confectionery Alliance agency as a means of restoring con- sumer confidence in food safety so long as its function would be con- fined to food safety in terms of of the United Kingdom microbiological and chemical risk assessment and not include nutri- tion in the sense of the nutritional quality of the diet. The British retail consortium has produced a draft discussion document which offers a standard auditing for- mat for “Core Technical Standard for Suppliers of Retail Branded Prod- ucts.” The Alliance welcomes this ini- tiative to develop a standard report- he objectives and priorities for “milk chocolate” in the U.K. and Ire- ing protocol, which will support the Tthe Biscuit, Cake, Chocolate land for the 20 percent cocoa principle of adopting a common and Confectionery Alliance of the solids/20 percent milk solids category. rather than a competitive approach to United Kingdom (BCCCA) are set food safety and will reduce the num- each year by the Council. The pur- INTERNAL MARKET ber of audits for manufacturers. pose of the Alliance is to promote The proposed package of amend- The Alliance takes the view that the collective sectoral interests ments to the Labeling Directive will members should only need to give agreed by member companies by— require the labeling of foodstuffs to information on the “big four” val- • facilitating industry policy for- provide the quantity of ingredient ues on food product labels. These mulation, declaration (quid) for certain ingre- four are energy, protein, carbohy- • providing members with timely dients in food products. The drates and fat. This recommenda- and relevant information, Alliance will press for satisfactory tion is on the basis that sugars do • representing the industry’s needs application of these requirements. not metabolize any differently to government, and The EU Novel Foods Regulation than other carbohydrates thus • providing relevant and cost effec- provides that foods containing there is no need to differentiate tive services to members. genetically modified ingredients between them in a nutrition decla- In the 1997 annual review, the must only be labeled if the novel ration. The Alliance also maintains BCCCA outlined key issues in vari- ingredient is “no longer equivalent its preference for nutrition label- ous areas of interest to their members. to” an existing ingredient. The pub- ing to remain voluntary. lished guidelines on labeling for COCOA AND CHOCOLATE genetically modified foods advocate EXTERNAL RELATIONS STANDARDS that if the presence of modified This industry’s products are con- It is the desire of the members of the genetic material can be confirmed, stantly in the media spotlight and Alliance that they be able to continue then this should be indicated on the the Alliance has continued to moni- to label the current U.K.formulations label, but if this cannot be confirmed, tor and interact with public discus- containing vegetable fats as “choco- then this information should be pro- sions on nutrition, dental and other late” and to retain the designation vided to consumers by alternative relevant issues to ensure that they

56 March 1998 • The Manufacturing Confectioner