L 31/18 Official Journal of the European Union 3.2.2006 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 24 January 2006 authorising the placing on the market of rye bread with added phytosterols/phytostanols as novel foods or novel food ingredients pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 258/97 of the European Parliament and of the Council (notified under document number C(2006) 42) (Only the Finnish and Swedish texts are authentic) (Text with EEA relevance) (2006/58EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 258/97 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 January 1997 concerning novel foods and novel food ingredients ('), and in particular Article 7 thereof, Whereas: (1) On 24 September 2001 Pharmaconsult Oy Ltd (formerly MultiBene Health Oy Ltd) made a request to the compe- tent authorities of Finland for placing phytosterols on the market. (20 On 17 January 2002 the competent authorities of Finland issued their initial assessment report. (3) In their initial assessment report, Finland’s competent food assessment body came to the conclusion that the phytosterols/stanols are safe for human consumption. (4  The Commission forwarded the initial assessment report to all Member States on 5 March 2002. (') OJ L 43, 14.2.1997, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1882/2003 (O] L 284, 31.10.2003, p. 1). () Within the 60-day period laid down in Article 6(4) of the Regulation, reasoned objections to the marketing of the product were raised in accordance with that provision. The Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) in its opinion ‘General view on the long-term effects of the intake of elevated levels of phytosterols from multiple dietary sources, with particular attention to the effects on [-carotene’ of 26 September 2002 indicated that there was no evidence of additional benefits at intakes higher than 3 g/day and that high intakes might induce unde- sirable effects and that it was therefore prudent to avoid plant sterol intakes exceeding 3 g/day. Furthermore, the SCF, in its opinion on an application from MultiBene for approval of plant sterol enriched foods of 4 April 2003, reiterated its concerns about cumulative intakes from a wide range of foods with added phytosterols. However, at the same time the SCF confirmed that the addition of phytosterols to a wide range of bakery products was safe. In order to meet the concerns on cumulative intakes of phytosterols/phytostanols from different products Phar- maconsult Oy consequently agreed to reduce the original application on bakery products exclusively to rye bread.