Discussion:

1. The present title for the main group attempts to indicate the contents but as a result may be misleading, particularly if new types of food are added. The simpler title Miscellaneous foods and ingredients may be better.

2. Assignments to categories for herbs, spices and seeds is not straightforward. Herbs may be considered to be plants where the non-woody parts are consumed in small amounts for their flavouring properties rather than in amounts significant to the intake of major nutrients. Spices are usually a dried part, or parts, of aromatic plants used either whole or ground to add flavour and for preservative properties. Some such as Coriander and Fenugreek are the ground seeds of plants whose leaves are used as herbs or vegetables. Others are dried fruits or berries.

   In Eurocode 2 version 93/1, Spices (preparations), herbs and seasonings formed a single subgroup without further subdivision, with Mustard as a separate subgroup. If, as is proposed, categories are to be added for individual herbs and spices, it is questionable whether these should remain in the 'Miscellaneous foods' main group. However placing them in the appropriate main group (as Seeds, Vegetables or Fruits) would separate them. Whole and ground seeds are best not separated. Also, these are not necessarily minor constituents, some breads contain 10% ground fenugreek.

   To some extent these are questions of how to record 'part(s) of plant' and of whether the foods are better classified on the basis of product type rather than source. Any comments and suggestions on these aspects and how herbs and spices would be best included in the Eurocode classification will be welcomed.

3. Sauce is a very general term for a liquid or semiliquid seasoning or other accompaniment for food. Various Miscellaneous foods subgroups such as Condiments, Dressings, Dips, and Chutney and pickles consist partly or wholly of sauces, while some others have been classified in the Fruits main group. These leave the main group of sauces which are cooked as part of, or adjuncts to, dishes (including starters, main courses and desserts). These have been assigned to the Savoury sauces or Dessert sauces subgroups which include ready-prepared retail products as well as sauces prepared in the kitchen (above, at, or below room temperature).

   In version 93/1, sauces were classified "according to their basic ingredient" using categories such as Sauce, vegetable base and Sauce, vinegar base although no guidelines (other than the general ones for classifying mixed dishes) were provided. Although this may be adequate for simple sauces, more complex products incorporate essential constitutents from two or more food groups, often in roughly equal amounts. These might be handled through a recipe system but it remains convenient to allow them to be coded as items within the classification, particularly as cooking sauces are increasingly available as ready-to-use retail products.

   The version 99/1 categorisation is somewhat more detailed and more cookbook oriented than the version 93/1 approach which based the categories on the main ingredient, but placed them in Miscellaneous foods rather than the appropriate main group. As will be discussed more generally elsewhere, the 99/1 approach is intended to bring similar products together and to aid accurate categorisation, allowing alternative classifications and hence aggregations to be applied independently. Any suggestions for improvements in the sauce categories will be much appreciated. See also:

   • Category documentation for Sauces
   • Proposal for standard main-ingredient codes.

4. Although the Miscellaneous foods group covered various items that are difficult to classify elsewhere, it has also been used (both in version 93/1 and 99/1) to bring together similar foods such as sauces, soups and snacks that would otherwise be assigned to different groups on the basis of their main ingredient. They are classified according to product type rather than source organism. The revised subdivision of Sauces and the alternative suggestion for Soups extend the product type classification down to the next level. Another product type, Prepared salads, has been added. These points give rise to some general questions:
   1. Should such foods be classified by product type rather than by source organism and, if so, should the group in which they appear be called Miscellaneous foods or would be be better to create a separate Main Group called, for example, Prepared products and dishes?
   2. Should Prepared product subgroups be subdivided according to source or, where applicable, on more detailed product type criteria? The version 99/2 proposal for standard codes for the main ingredient of a product could be combined with a more detailed subdivision of product type such as used for Sauces.
   3. Are there any further product types that it might be convenient to have available? Categories for various prepared products, take-away items and convenience meals might be considered to provide a convenient method of recording such foods.