Nov. 20 – EU: New flavouring regulation presents challenges to industry

NUTRA Ingredients Europe on new EU flavouring regulations:

Flavourings currently fall under directive 88/388. However the regulatory situation is set to change next year, with the anticipated adoption of FIAP (Food Improvement Agent Package), Joy Hardinge of AJH Consulting told attendees at the SAFC symposium in Grasse, France, last week.

Whereas directive 88/388 covered flavourings, under FIAP (which also relates to additives, enzymes, and the common authorisation procedure) the scope is extended to cover “certain food ingredients with flavouring properties”.

Directive 88/388 covers flavouring preparations, process flavourings, smoke flavourings, and three categories of flavouring substances – natural, nature identical (NI) and artificial.

But with the proposed regulation the scope is set to change.

Firstly, it looks to replace process flavours with ‘thermal process flavours’ – that is flavourings obtained after a heat treatment from a mixture of ingredients that do not necessarily have flavouring properties themselves. One ingredient must contain an amino nitrogen, and one be a reducing sugar.

It also does away with the NI and artificial categories of flavouring substances – a big change, since the claim that a food “contains no artificial flavourings” currently holds much marketing sway.

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