By Lorraine Heller
16/08/2007-
The Codex
Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) is calling for comments and additional
information on uses of certain compounds, including sweeteners and colors, in
order to assess their inclusion in the Codex General Standards for Food
Additives (GSFA).
Additives under consideration include aspartame,
acesulfame potassium, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, carmine, beta-carotene,
polysorbates, and sulphites.
The 39th Session of CCFA requires the additional information on draft
and proposed draft food additive provisions as part of its procedure to complete
work on GSFA. If this is not provided, CCFA said the next session of the
Committee will discontinue work on these food additive provisions and remove
them from GSFA.
An electronic working group, led by the United States, has been established to
examine any comments received, and to submit a report with its recommendations
on the draft maximum levels for colors and food additives under consideration.
This will then be considered by the 40th Session of CCFA, scheduled
in April 2008.
The comments called for include justification for use of additives in certain
applications, or technological need for their use.
For example, information is requested on the use of certain sweeteners,
including aspartame, sucralose and acesulfame potassium, in fermented milk
products, cheese analogues, bread, dried fruit and vinegar.
In addition, the use of aspartame in chocolate products and hard and soft candy
is also questioned, as well as the use of sucralose in breakfast cereals.
In the case of color ingredients, CCFA requests comments on the use of Brilliant
Blue FCF, Caramel III (ammonia process) and Caramel IV (sulphite ammonia
process) in cocoa and chocolate products. The use of carmine is questioned in
crackers and other bread-type products, while beta-carotene is questioned in
cocoa mixes, some meat and fish products, and dried pasta.
Comments are also requested on sulphite use due to concerns about the intake of
these compounds and their inclusion levels in jams and jellies, fruit desserts
and soups and broths.
Intake and technological need information is also requested on polysorbate use
in dairy products, breads, crackers and vegetable products.
To access a full additive list and the call for comments in CCFA's August 2007
Circular letter, click
here.
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