21.6.2014 Official Journal of the European Union L 182/27 COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 686/2014 of 20 June 2014 amending Regulations (EC) No 9832009 and (EU) No 384/2010 as regards the conditions of use of certain health claims related to the lowering effect of plant sterols and plant stanols on blood LDL-cholesterol (Text with EEA relevance) THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods (), and in particular Article 17(3) thereof, Whereas: (1)  Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 provides that applications for authorisations of health claims are to be sent to the national competent authority of the respective Member State. The national competent authority is to forward those applications to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), hereinafter referred to as ‘the Authority’. The Authority is to give an opinion on the health claim and to forward it to the Commission who is to decide on the authorisation of the health claim taking into account the opinion delivered by the Authority. (2)  Pursuant to Article 16(4) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, an opinion of the Authority in favour of authorising a health claim may include specific conditions of use of the claim. (3)  The authorisation of health claims may be amended following a request by the applicant or user according to Article 19(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 or following an opinion of the Authority issued on its own initia- tive or following a request from a Member State or from the Commission according to Article 19(2) of Regu- lation (EC) No 1924/2006. (4)  Following the opinion of the Authority, based on a request of the Commission and a similar request from France, regarding the possibility to indicate a quantitative effect in health claims related to the lowering effects of plant sterols/plant stanol esters on blood LDL-cholesterol (Question No EFSA-Q-2009-00530 and Q-2009-00718) (3, the Commission amended, by Regulation (EU) No 376/2010 (}), the conditions of use of two health claims related to the lowering effects of plant sterols and plant stanol esters on blood cholesterol, as laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 983/2009 (%), by indicating a quantitative effect. Moreover, based on the same opinion of the Authority, the Commission authorised, by Regulation (EU) No 384/2010 (), a health claim related to the lowering effects of plant sterols/plant stanol esters on blood LDL-cholesterol, establishing conditions of use related to the indication of a quantitative effect. (5)  Following an application from Raisio Nutrition Ltd, submitted pursuant to Article 14(1)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, the Authority was required to deliver an opinion on a health claim related to the lowering effects of plant stanols as plant stanol esters on blood LDL-cholesterol concentrations (Question No EFSA-Q-2011- 00851) (°). The claim proposed by the applicant was worded as follows: ‘The daily consumption of 3 g plant stanols in ester form has been shown to reduce blood cholesterol by 12 %. High cholesterol is a risk factor in the () OJL 404, 30.12.2006, p. 9. (}) EFSA Journal 2009;1175, 1-9. (®) Commission Regulation (EU) No 376/2010 of 3 May 2010 amending Regulation (EC) No 983/2009 on the authorisation and refusal of authorisation of certain health claims made on food and referring to the reduction of disease risk and to children’s development and health (OJ L 111, 4.5.2010, p. 3). (*) Commission Regulation (EC) No 983/2009 of 21 October 2009 on the authorisation and refusal of authorisation of certain health claims made on food and referring to the reduction of disease risk and to children’s development and health (O] L 277, 22.10.2009, .3). ¢) FC)on)lmission Regulation (EU) No 384/2010 of 5 May 2010 on the authorisation and refusal of authorisation of certain health claims made on foods and referring to the reduction of disease risk and to children’s development and health (O] L 113, 6.5.2010, p. 6). (°) EFSA Journal 2012; 10(5):2692.