The Foods Intended for Use in Energy Restricted Diets for Weight Reduction Regulations 1997

These Regulations may be cited as the Foods Intended for Use in Energy Restricted Diets for Weight Reduction Regulations 1997 and shall come into force on 31st March 1999.

In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires—

• “the Act” means the Food Safety Act 1990;

• “advertise” and “advertising” shall be construed by reference to the definition of “advertisement” in section 53(1) of the Act but shall not relate to any label or wrapper;

• “food authority” does not include—

  1. (a)

     the council of a district in a non-metropolitan county in England except where the county functions have been transferred to that council pursuant to a structural change; or

  2. (b)

     the appropriate Treasurer referred to in section 5(1)(c) of the Act (which deals with the Inner Temple and the Middle Temple);

• “relevant food” means specially formulated food intended for use in energy-restricted diets for weight reduction, being food which complies with the compositional requirements in Schedule 1 and which, when used as instructed by the manufacturer, replaces—

  1. (a)

     the whole of the total daily diet; or

  2. (b)

     one or more meals of the daily diet; and

• “sell” includes possess for sale, and offer, expose or advertise for sale, and “sale” and “sold” shall be construed accordingly.

Any reference in these Regulations to a numbered regulation or Schedule shall be construed as a reference to the regulation or Schedule bearing that number in these Regulations.

No person shall sell any relevant food under any name other than—

No person shall sell any food in the labelling of which the name “total diet replacement for weight control” or “meal replacement for weight control” is used unless that food is relevant food.

the available energy value expressed in kJ and kcal, and the content of proteins, carbohydrates and fat, expressed in numerical form, per specified quantity of the product ready for use as proposed for consumption;

the average quantity of each mineral and each vitamin for which compositional requirements are stipulated in paragraph 5 of Schedule 1, expressed in numerical form, per specified quantity of the product ready for use as proposed for consumption and, for products mentioned in regulation 2(1)(b), that average quantity expressed as a percentage of the values as set out in Tables A and B of Part II of Schedule 6 to the Food Labelling Regulations 1996^f1;

instructions for appropriate preparation, where necessary and a statement as to the importance of following those instructions;

where a product, when used as instructed by the manufacturer, provides a daily intake of polyols in excess of 20g per day, a statement to the effect that the food may have a laxative effect;

a statement on the importance of maintaining an adequate daily fluid intake;

for products mentioned in regulation 2(1)(a), a statement that the product provides adequate amounts of all essential nutrients for the day and a statement that the product should not be used for more than three weeks without medical advice; and

for products mentioned in regulation 2(1)(b), a statement to the effect that the product is useful for the intended use only as part of an energy-restricted diet and that other food should be a necessary part of such diet.

If any person contravenes regulation 2, 3, 4 or 5 he shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.

Where an offence under these Regulations is committed in Scotland by a Scottish partnership and is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of, a partner, he as well as the partnership shall be guilty of the offence and be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.

In any proceedings for an offence under these Regulations it shall be a defence for the person charged to prove—

In this regulation—

• “EEA State” means a State which is a Contracting Party to the EEA Agreement; and

• “EEA Agreement” means the Agreement on the European Economic Area^f2 signed at Oporto on 2nd May 1992 as adjusted by the Protocol^f3 signed at Brussels on 17th March 1993.