Draft Royal Decree to Amend Legislation on Manufacturing and Trading Foodstuffs with Plants or Plant Preparations Submitted

    On July 1st, the Belgian authorities submitted a new TRIS notification regarding a draft Royal Decree that amends the existing legislation on the manufacture and trade of foodstuffs containing plants or plant preparations.

    Key changes in the published draft include:

       – Modifications to List 1 “Prohibited Plants in Foodstuffs“, which involve changes to seven existing entries and the addition of Mitragyna speciosa.

       – A complete revision of List 2 “Edible Mushrooms” and Article 4§1. This revision introduces new entries and distinguishes between wild and cultivated species.

       – Extensive updates to List 3 “Plants Authorised in Food Supplements with Conditions“:

               · For ~50 plants, major revisions to conditions of use have been made, including warnings;

               · For an additional ~50 further plants, minor adjustments were implemented (e.g. updated terminology);

               · Clarifications have been made regarding Latin names, and newly authorised ingredients have been added, such as Angelica keiskei and Vaccinium angustifolium.

       – For Bamboo (Bambusa bambos (L.) Voss and Bambusa vulgaris Schrad.), the condition “Scientific evidence needs to be provided that the pretreatment applied prevents the release of hydrogen cyanide from the cyanogenic glycosides” is being added.

    It is unclear what type of scientific evidence will be deemed sufficient or valid.

    A two-year transition period is foreseen for products that comply with the existing legislation.

    Contributions from stakeholders are open until October 2, 2025.

This is a developing narrative; we will update it as new information emerges.