(A) VITAMINS AND MINERALS IN FOODS FOR SPECIAL MEDICAL PURPOSES (AGENDA ITEM 8A)
(B) NUTRIENT REFERENCE VALUES FOR LABELLING PURPOSES (AGENDA ITEM 8B)
107. The Delegation of Germany introduced document CX/NFSDU 98/8 which had been prepared upon the request of the 19th Session of the Committee.
108. The Committee thanked the Delegation of Germany for the paper and had an exchange of views regarding the scientific basis of nutrient requirements for diseased people and the age groups to be considered when setting minimum and maximum levels of vitamins and minerals. It was agreed to express nutrient density criteria both in kcal and in kilojoules as the latter expression was used in a number of countries. The Committee accepted the view that, when elaborating the provisions in the future, the age ranges should be based on the following three age groups: 0-12 months, 1-11 years, and over 11 years.
109. The Delegation of United States objected to the establishment of maximum limits except on the basis of science based risk assessment when safety concern existed and pointed out that some of the ranges for the electrolytes were not adequate. Some delegations questioned the usefulness of prescribing nutrient content based on the requirements for healthy adults. It was also suggested to amend the reference energy intake to 1500 kcal.
110. The Delegations of Denmark and Norway proposed to extend the scope of the Table and to include requirements for energy, protein contents and essential fatty acids. The Delegation of Romania pointed out that patients with severe burns had special requirements as regards fatty acids. The Committee however did not come to a conclusion on the addition of other nutrients to the Table.
111. It was suggested that the Table, when further developed, should be included in the Standard for the Labelling of and Claims for Prepackaged Foods for Special Dietary Uses. The Committee however noted that the standard did not apply to composition requirements but only to labelling and claims; its revision and the amendment of its scope was a different issue which had not been raised so far and could not be considered at this stage, especially as it had not yet been decided how to proceed with the Table.
112. The Delegation of Switzerland drew the attention of the Committee to the fact that the FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Human Vitamin and Mineral Requirements was being held in Bangkok and its conclusions might be useful in this regard.
113. The Committee agreed that the issues identified above deserved additional consideration and agreed that the Delegation of Germany would revise the discussion paper including the Table, as required, in square brackets for further comments and consideration at the next session.
114. The Committee recalled that at its 20th Session it had considered this issue and it was agreed that the paper should be circulated for comments on the general approach to the values, and further action, if needed.
115. The Committee noted that it was difficult to deal with this matter as there is no foreseen possibility to have the Expert Consultation similar to the one that was held in Helsinki. The Delegation of Switzerland recalled that the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation is being held in Bangkok and it might provide data necessary for the further elaboration of this document. The Committee agreed to stop considering this issue until the recommendations of the Expert Consultation become available.
