Major changes introduced by the new Regulation
1. The scope of the Regulation
The scope has been extended compared to the scope of the previous Directive 88/388 through the inclusion of the so-called food ingredients with flavouring properties (e.g. herbs and spices)
For further details please refer to Chapter I of the EFFA Guidance Document
2. General conditions
The new Regulation lays down general conditions for the use of flavourings, food ingredients with flavouring properties and source materials:
For further details please refer to Chapter II of the EFFA Guidance Document
3. Definitions
The new Regulation provides a set of new and/or modified definitions in the context of flavouring categories and manufacturing processes:
e.g. no distinction is made between nature-identical and artificial flavouring substances, both of which will be regarded as “Flavouring substances”.
e.g. a distinction is established between source materials considered as “food” and “non-food”
For further details please refer to Chapter I of the EFFA Guidance Document
4. Labelling
The new Regulation stipulates new labelling requirements both for flavouring manufacturers (B2B) and (final) food manufacturers (B2C). These include:
e.g. packaging labelling of flavourings for downstream manufacturers and consumers must include details about the presence of food allergens and date of minimum durability.
e.g. labelling as “natural flavouring substance(s)” may only be used for flavourings where the flavouring part contains exclusively natural flavouring substances.
For further details please refer to Chapter IV of the EFFA Guidance Document
5. Union List
A Union List of evaluated and approved (by EFSA) flavourings and source materials for use in and on foods has been established and has been published on 2 October 2012 (see above). The Union List Part A (currently Annex I to the Flavouring Regulation) covers only chemically defined flavourings substances whereas the UL Parts B-F (not yet published) will cover:
- Flavouring preparations (when obtained from non-food sources)
Thermal process flavours (when obtained from non-food sources and/or for which the production conditions and/or the maximum levels for certain undesirable substances as set out in Annex V are not met);
- Flavour precursors (when obtained from non-food sources)
- Other flavourings
- Source materials other than food
For further details please refer to Chapter III of the EFFA Guidance Document
6. Risk Management
The risk management of certain substances naturally present in certain food ingredients with flavouring properties (e.g. herbs, spices) and/or flavourings is based upon the “major contributor approach”:
e.g. maximum levels are established for the presence of these undesirable substances in food which contribute most to the human intake of these substances.
For further details please refer to Chapter II of the EFFA Guidance Document
More information on:
Annex III of Regulation 1334/2008 on flavourings
EFFA Guidance Document