Food Law News - EU - 1996

25 June 1996: FLAVOURINGS - Adoption of Regulation Laying Down a Community Procedure for Flavouring Substances


MAFF Letter 2 July 1996

Adoption of EU Regulation Laying Down a Community Procedure for Flavouring Substances Used or Intended for Use In or On Foodstuffs (Regulation ***/96)

At the Environment Council Meeting on 25 June 1996, the above Regulation was formally adopted. The Regulation provides for a programme which will ultimately lead to the positive listing of substances used in or on foods as flavourings. It therefore provides rules for the implementation of the requirements of Directive 88/388/EEC on "the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to flavourings for use in foodstuffs and to source materials for their production".

The Regulation contains an Annex listing general use criteria which must be met by all flavouring substances

Member States must notify the Commission (within one year) a list of the flavouring substances which may be used in or on foodstuffs marketed in their territory. Certain specified information must be supplied at the time of notification. Following scrutiny, the Commission will publish a register of the substances the legal use of which in one Member State must be recognized by the other Member States. The register will then be formally adopted (within one year of the notification period). A provision allows for modification of the register if new information relating to public health arises.

A programme to check whether the substances on the register meet the general use criteria will be adopted (within 10 months of the adoption of the register). This will be completed within 5 years so as to provide a list of flavouring substances the use of which is authorized to the exclusion of all others.


To go to current EU Food Law News page,
click here.
To go to main Food Law Index page, click here.