Smoke flavouring legislation published

Legislation controlling the use of smoke flavourings has been published and will apply from 1 January 2014. Food manufacturers will need to comply with the new rules from 1 January 2015.

This legislation, published in the Official Journal of the European Union (see External sites link), lists the 10 smoke flavouring primary products that can be used in food, and the conditions of use. These include maximum permitted levels and the foods to which they can be added. All the smoke flavourings included in the positive list have been evaluated for safety by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Background

The Smoke Flavouring Regulation EC No 2065/2003 established the procedure for the evaluation and authorisation of smoke flavouring primary products. Smoke flavouring primary products are produced from smoke which is purified to produce these flavourings. The primary products can be used directly on food (such as meat and fish) to produce a smoky taste or can used to make derived smoke flavourings which are used in a variety of foods such as BBQ sauces and smoky bacon crisps. They can also be used as a direct replacement for the traditional smoking of foods to produce smoked meat and fish.