News: Additives
EFSA published the re-evaluation of mono- and digylcerides of fatty acids (E471) for infants under the age of 16 weeks on 08/11/21. According to EFSA, there are no safety concerns when using the food additive in infant formulae (food category (FC) 13.1.1) and in dietary food for infants for special medical purposes and special formulae for infants (FC 13.1.5.1). However, based on the risk assessment, EFSA considers it necessary to lower the maximum residue limits for lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic and to establish limits for 3-MCPD, glycidyl esters and erucic acid in E471 (EFSA Journal 2021; 19(11):6885).
Following the begin of the application of Regulation (EU) 2019/1381 on the transparency and sustainability of the EU risk assessment in the food chain from 27 March 2021, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) updated several administrative and scientific guidance documents.
With regard to food improvement agents (food additives, food enzymes and flavourings), EFSA updated the following guidances:
- Administrative guidance for the preparation of applications on food improvement agents (food enzymes, food additives and food flavourings) (EFSA Supporting publication 2021:EN-6509)
- Guidance for submission for food additive evaluations (EFSA Journal 2012;10(7):2760)
- Guidance of the Scientific Panel of Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (CEF) on the Submission of a Dossier on Food Enzymes for Safety Evaluation by the Scientific Panel of Food Contact Material, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (The EFSA Journal (2009) 1305)
- Guidance on the data required for the risk assessment of flavourings to be used in or on foods (EFSA Journal 2010; 8(6):1623)
In 2015 EFSA published a scientific opinion in the re-evaluation of the food additive E 304(i). In this opinion EFSA concluded that there is no safety concern for the use of ascorbyl palmitate as food additive at the reported use and use level for the general population. However,
