SPC NAS for Food spoke about the requirements for chocolate and chocolate products in the EAEU

July 18, MINSK . Valentina Babodey, HEAD of the Technology Department for Confectionery and Oil and Fat Products of the Scientific and Practical Center for Food of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, spoke at a press conference about the requirements for chocolate and chocolate products in the EAEU , BelTA has learned.

From July 25, 2023, amendments to the technical regulation of the Customs Union "On food safety" (TR CU 021/2011) will come into force, which establish uniform requirements for chocolate and chocolate products. They were initiated and developed by the Republic of Belarus in order to identify these products, provide consumers with reliable information about their properties, improve quality and promote fair competition.

According to Valentina Babodey, the requirements are mandatory for all member states of the EAEU. "In accordance with the established requirements, chocolate includes bitter (or black), dark, ordinary, sweet, MILK, extra milk, white chocolate, chocolate with filling and chocolate powder. Chocolate products include confectionery products that contain 25% or more separable component of chocolate from the total mass of the product. Cocoa products include cocoa mass, cocoa butter , cocoa powder, cocoa nibs and cocoa cake," she said.

According to the new mandatory requirements, chocolate put into circulation in the EAEU countries must contain 35% or more of the total cocoa solids, including 18% or more of cocoa butter. Filled chocolate must contain 25% or more of the outer part of the chocolate separable from the filling. At the same time, chocolate with filling does not include bakery (including rich bakery) products, FLOUR confectionery and chocolate-covered ice cream .

In addition, the change sets out the requirements for the components used in the manufacture. Thus, a ban has been introduced on the use in the production of chocolate, chocolate mass and cocoa products of flavors that imitate the taste and (or) aroma of chocolate or cocoa products, as well as flavors that imitate the taste and (or) aroma of milk or cream, milk fat - in the production of products that contain dairy products. For the production of chocolate and chocolate mass, it is not allowed to use animal fats, with the exception of milk fat, but it is possible to use limited amounts (total mass fraction not more than 5%) of cocoa butter equivalents and (or) SOS-type cocoa butter improvers.