Flavourings
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In early 2013, new Europe-wide regulations came into force which should ensure that all flavourings used in foods, drinks and medicines sold in the UK have been scientifically assessed as safe, and have labels that give consumers some information about the flavourings they contain.
Stricter monitoring systems should also be in place in the UK to ensure companies follow the new regulations. Whether consumers will be adequately protected by these new rules and how well the Governments in the UK will monitor the food supply chain, particularly of imported foods from outside the EU, is however not clear.
Flavourings is the biggest sector in the global food and additives ingredients market, yet the products themselves do not play a direct nutritional role in foods or drinks.
Useful resources
A Question of Taste: A review of flavourings in foods and drinks in the UK
Flavourings is the biggest sector in the global food and additives ingredients market, yet the products themselves do not play a direct nutritional role in foods or drinks.
This review considers how and where flavourings are currently used and the role they play in a highly technologised food industry. A number of recommendations are made around issues of safety, responsibility towards children's health, transparency and food quality to highlight some of the areas where more information and clarity are needed for consumers.
The report was compiled by a multi-disciplinary team of experts involved in food law, food toxicology and public health, and provides the first objective, comprehensive review of the flavourings industry in the UK
