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Brussels, |
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Food safety additives
Food additives are substances intentionally added to food for a specific technological purpose during production, processing, preparation, packaging, transport or storage. Under EU law, they are not normally consumed as food on their own and are not typical ingredients of a food; instead, they are used to preserve, colour, stabilise or otherwise influence the product’s properties..
The EU framework allows food additives only where they provide a real benefit for consumers. According to the Commission, authorised additives must help preserve nutritional quality, meet special dietary needs, improve shelf life, stability or sensory qualities, or facilitate safe and hygienic production, packaging and storage. EU legislation identifies 26 functional categories of additives, including colours, preservatives, antioxidants, thickeners, stabilisers, flavour enhancers and flour-treatment agents.
Safety assessment is a central part of the system. The Commission explains that all additives authorised in the EU are assessed by independent experts, including the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), using scientific data on chemical properties, manufacturing methods, proposed uses and potential health effects. EFSA establishes an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) and evaluates whether normal and high-consumption exposure scenarios remain below that limit.
A food additive can be authorised only if it does not pose a health risk at the proposed levels, there is a clear technological need that cannot be met by suitable alternatives, and its use benefits the consumer without misleading them. The Commission also notes that ethics, tradition and environmental impact may play a role in the authorisation process, and that authorisations are submitted to a vote of EU Member States.
EU rules also require clear labelling. Additives must appear in the ingredients list with the name of their functional class followed by their specific name or E-number, for example “Preservative: sodium nitrite” or “Colour: E 100”. The core legal framework is Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives.
The EU framework allows food additives only where they provide a real benefit for consumers. According to the Commission, authorised additives must help preserve nutritional quality, meet special dietary needs, improve shelf life, stability or sensory qualities, or facilitate safe and hygienic production, packaging and storage. EU legislation identifies 26 functional categories of additives, including colours, preservatives, antioxidants, thickeners, stabilisers, flavour enhancers and flour-treatment agents.
Safety assessment is a central part of the system. The Commission explains that all additives authorised in the EU are assessed by independent experts, including the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), using scientific data on chemical properties, manufacturing methods, proposed uses and potential health effects. EFSA establishes an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) and evaluates whether normal and high-consumption exposure scenarios remain below that limit.
A food additive can be authorised only if it does not pose a health risk at the proposed levels, there is a clear technological need that cannot be met by suitable alternatives, and its use benefits the consumer without misleading them. The Commission also notes that ethics, tradition and environmental impact may play a role in the authorisation process, and that authorisations are submitted to a vote of EU Member States.
EU rules also require clear labelling. Additives must appear in the ingredients list with the name of their functional class followed by their specific name or E-number, for example “Preservative: sodium nitrite” or “Colour: E 100”. The core legal framework is Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives.
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