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• Novel foods • REACH • Distinctive Signs •
 The
proposed new extensive EU legislation on chemicals is known as REACH,
which stands for Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of
Chemicals. It is expected to become law within the next year.
Though targeted at the industrial chemical sector,
this proposed regulatory regime will also have a direct impact on
biotrade products, notably essential oils. Andrew Jones, a consultant to
BTFP explains:
“In relation to biotrade products, one
category of chemicals that is exempt from the requirements of REACH
is “substances occurring in nature…not chemically modified during
manufacturing unless they meet the criteria…as...dangerous...” [S]ome
of the biotrade suppliers do have existing products that are within
the scope of REACH. These are, generally, essential oils and
colouring materials.
“Most companies in the biotrade programme already
struggle to satisfy the requirements of the existing Safety Data Sheets
due to financial or technical constraints, or both. More effort will be
required in this area to build up the capacity of local technical
service providers to support the exporters. This needs to be
complemented by careful evaluation of the return on any investments in
new substances within the biotrade programme.”
Interestingly, the proposed REACH legislation is
strongly supported by WWF. They state that REACH:
“... could make an important contribution to
reducing risk to wildlife and humans from chemicals by identifying
and phasing out the most harmful ones. REACH also offers an
opportunity to promote a sustainable, innovative and forward-looking
chemical industry.”
Nevertheless, the impact that this legislation will
have on rural small and medium biotrade business in developing countries
is likely to be significant. These businesses simply do not have the
means to comply with REACH. Not only will development objectives be
undermined, but so will producer innovation and consumer choice in
Europe.
The following documents provide background
information on this matter:
 Government
of Netherlands discussion paper
UNCTAD
discussion paper
EFEO
position paper
EFEO
proposals
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