The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has released updated guidelines for assessing the safety of food additives. These guidelines outline what scientific data is needed to determine if a food additive is safe to use. This includes details on how the additive is made, how it’s used, and its potential impact on both human health and the environment.
Key updates in the guidelines include:
Improved Manufacturing Techniques: New methods enhance the understanding of food additive quality and the materials used to create them. This allows for more precise definitions and specifications.
Consumer Safety: The guidelines now address how to evaluate exposure to small particles, including nanoparticles, in food additives.
New Tools: Latest versions of the Food Additives Intake Model (FAIM) and the Dietary Exposure (DietEx) tool are included, helping assess how much of a food additive consumers may encounter.
Infant Safety: There’s a special focus on assessing food additives intended for infants under 16 weeks old.
Current Guidelines: They reference recent documents on genotoxicity and toxicity that have been published since 2012.
Environmental Considerations: There’s an emphasis on how some food additives can affect the environment, which is increasingly relevant today.
According to recent studies, consumers are more aware than ever of food safety issues. A survey found that over 70% of people are concerned about additives in their food. This growing awareness highlights the importance of robust safety assessments for food products.
For anyone wanting to explore these guidelines in detail, the full document is available here.
In a world where food safety is pivotal, these updates ensure that additives are thoroughly vetted, keeping consumer health and the environment in mind.
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