Food flavourings

KEY POINTS

• Flavourings must not pose a safety risk to consumers (on the basis of the scientific evidence available), and not mislead them.
• The regulation defines what are, for example, flavourings, flavouring substances, flavouring preparations, smoke flavourings, thermal process flavourings, flavour precursors, and food ingredients with flavourings properties.
• This legislation does not apply to substances with only an exclusively sweet (e.g. sugar), salty (e.g. salt) or sour taste, or to raw foods or mixtures such as fresh, dried or frozen spices and/or herbs, or to teas and infusions. Substances providing a sweet taste are sweeteners which constitute a specific category of food additives.
• It also lays down which types of flavourings need to undergo an evaluation and approval process and which ones do not.
• The EU adopted a list of approved flavouring substances on 1 October 2012. Only these flavouring substances may be used in and on foods and sold in the EU. The list is updated periodically.
• The regulation also contains a list of 15 naturally occurring substances of toxicological concern. These include estragol, menthofuran, methyleugenol, hydrocyanic acid and coumarin and may not be added to food as such. Maximum levels are set for the presence of certain of these naturally occurring substances in foods.They may be present, such as as certain traditional foods or certain alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

• As regards labelling, flavourings sold from business to business or to the general public have to comply with specific rules in addition to the requirements in Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on providing food information to consumers on labelling. The specific rules for the labelling of flavourings in and on foods relate to both regulations when sold to the general public and from business to business.
• The term ‘natural’ to describe a flavouring may only be used for substances derived directly from animal or vegetable material.
• Food business operators (flavouring producers, or importers or users of flavourings like the food industry) must report to the European Commission on the amounts they have added to foods over a 12-month period, if so requested.
• A producer or user of a flavouring must inform the Commission of any scientific or technical information which is known and accessible to them and which might affect the assessment of the safety of the flavouring.