New EU List of Approved Food Additives Enters into Force

July 19, 2013 - PRLog -- On 1 June 2013, the new EU list of authorized food additives established by Commission Regulation 1129/2011 became applicable.(1)  Only additives included in the EU positive list may be used under specific conditions.  An EU food additive database is available on the website of Health and Consumer Protection Directorate General (DG SANCO).(2) The EU list takes into account five years of European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) scientific advice, resulting in the removal of some additives and some of their uses from the market. The new EU list further strengthens consumer protection and provides greater clarity for food operators.

The additives that are authorized in foodstuffs and their conditions of use are listed in the Annex II of Regulation European Commission (EC) No 1333/2008on food additives.(3) The additives are listed on the basis of the categories of food to which they may be added.

The Use of Food Additives

Additives can be used for various purposes. Among other things, they can be used as:

1. Colors – they are used to add or restore color in a food.

2. Preservatives – these are added to prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against micro-organisms.

3. Antioxidants – they are substances, which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against oxidation (i.e. fat rancidity and color changes).

The list is the result of a long evaluation process on additive’s safety by EFSA. The assessment on aspartame, due to the large amount of data provided to EFSA for evaluation, is planned to be completed by the end of 2013.

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Resources:

(1) Commission Regulation (EU) No 1129/2011 (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2011:295:0001:0177:EN:PDF)

(2) Health and Consumer Protection Directorate General (DG SANCO) (https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/sanco_foods/main/?sector=FAD&auth=SANCAS)

(3) Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2008:354:0016:0033:EN:PDF)

For further information please contact the SGS experts.

Contact details:

SGS Consumer Testing Services

Ron Wacker

Global Food Testing Business

Development Manager

SGS Germany GmbH

t: + 49 40 301 012 65

Email: cts.media@sgs.com

Website: http://www.foodsafety.sgs.com (http://www.sgs.com/en/Agriculture-Food.aspx)

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