Directive 95/2 on food additives other than colours and sweeteners

Citation

Jukes, D. (1999), "Directive 95/2 on food additives other than colours and sweeteners", British Food Journal, Vol. 101 No. 11. https://doi.org/10.1108/bfj.1999.070101kab.010

Directive 95/2 on food additives other than colours and sweeteners

The Commission circulated a draft Commission proposal for a third amendment to Directive 95/2/EC. Discussions on the proposal are likely to take place this autumn.

The proposal aims to:

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  permit the following previously authorised (on a national basis) additives to be used at Community level: Ethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose, Butane, iso-Butane and Propane;

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  take account of the views of the Scientific Committee on Food (SCF), who recently evaluated Hydrogen and found its use as a packaging gas toxicologically acceptable and considered the establishment of an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) level unnecessary;

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  permit some already authorised food additives 9Sodium alginate, glycerol esters of wood rosin, Zinc acetate) to be used in certain new applications; and

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  allocate an E number to the authorise food additive Propan-1,2-diol (propylene glycol).

The draft text includes two UK requests for new food additive uses: Hydrogen has been added to the list of additives in Annex I (food additives generally permitted for use in foodstuffs) and an entry to permit the propellants Butane, Iso-Butane and Propane in vegetable oil pan sprays (for professional use only) and water based emulsion sprays at quantum satis level has been included in Annex IV (other permitted additives). The use of the latter was permitted under a temporary UK national authorisation contained in the Miscellaneous Food Additives Regulations 1995 and the Miscellaneous Food Additives (Amendment) Regulations 1997. The UK national authorisation expired at the end of December 1997. The Commission's proposal would permit the use of the three propellant gases on an EC-wide basis.

Sweden had a national authorisation (which expired on 25 March 1999) for the use of E467 Ethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose. The Commission is proposing that this substance should be a food additive which is generally permitted for use in foodstuffs throughout the EU.

According to the Commission, a French company has requested the inclusion of E401 Sodium alginate in Annex II (foodstuffs in which a limited number of additives of Annex I may be used) in order to improve the quality and texture of pre-packed ready-to-eat carrots.

A German spirit drinks company has requested the inclusion of E445 Glycerol esters of wood rosin in Annex IV so that it can make some of its products cloudy, to be consistent with what is already permitted in non-alcoholic drinks.

As regards E650 Zinc acetate, the SCF has issued a favourable opinion on its safe use in chewing gum (as a flavour enhancer).