European Union has taken an important step to remove from the market those food products that may be harmful to the health of consumers. The Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety of the European Commission (SANTE) has announced that it will, from today, take Ban on 8 smoky flavorings similar to those used in ham flavored potato chips.
The organization has set deadlines gradually stop in order to adapt the food industry. This measure is a response to the decision that the European Union member states took last April after a long period of research and scientific analysis.
Smoke-flavored additives used in potato chips and other consumer products that will have to be abandoned next:
- SF-001 (proFagus Smoke R714);
- SF-002 (Zesti smoke code 10);
- SF-003 (smoke concentration 809045);
- SF-004 (Scansmoke SEF7525);
- SF-005 (SmokeEx C-10);
- SF-006 (SmokEz Enviro-23);
- SF-008 (proFagus Smoke R709);
- SF-009 (Concern “Fumocomp”).
As we have already mentioned, smoky aromatic additives will be withdrawn from circulation within the deadlines set by the authorities. As SANTE reports, this will be two years when used to add extra flavor to chips, soups or sauces. Although the shelf life will be up to five years when aromatic additives are used in products such as cheeses, hams or fish, instead of traditional smoking.
Why Europe is banning smoke flavours in French fries and other foods
The ban on smoked flavourings in crisps, soups, ham or cheeses etc. is a response to concerns about their impact on consumer health. At the end of 2023, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) explained that the decision was the result of an extensive study of its genotoxicity.
As the agency explained, of the 8 analyzed aromatic additives for smoking: 6 contained genotoxic substancesand in the other two its presence cannot be ruled out due to lack of data.
“Genotoxicity is the ability of a chemical to damage the genetic material of cells. Changes or mutations in the genetic information of a cell can increase the risk of cancer and other hereditary diseases. It is not possible to determine a safe level for this type of toxicity,” explained Wim Mennes from EFSA.
It is worth noting that the 2013 European regulation allowed the use of 10 smoking aromatic additives for 10 years. Although the authorization expired on January 1, 2024, eight additives were automatically extended for six months because the European Commission did not determine more than a month in advance whether the authorization would be confirmed or not. According to an update on the authorities’ website, this happened again at the end of June last year.
Let’s see how this story goes. As of today, eight aromatic additives for smoking have been officially banned, which has started the path to their gradual elimination within the already mentioned timeframe. “This is an important step forward in protecting the health of EU citizens”specified from SANTE.
Source: Hiper Textual
