Amendments to the EC Flavourings Register
A large number of ideas were put forward for tidying u the details in the register. However, the Commission maintained its view that minor changes were unnecessary at this stage and that it would be better to incorporate these in the course of the evaluation programme. It was confirmed that 'precursor flavourings' (substances which do not in themselves have significant flavouring properties but which react with other food components during processing to generate flavour in the final food) would not be covered by the register but would be dealt with separately.
EC Flavourings Register - Evaluation programme
The Commission reported that a task group had been established by the Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) to consider how the evaluation of flavourings should be carried out. It is intended that the group will draw up a report for discussion by the SDCF Plenary with a view to being finalised by December 1999. The task group first met in May and provisionally decided that the SCF should use the evaluation procedures adopted by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), but with some modification to the way exposure was estimated.
Proposal to Amend Council Directive 88/3888 (Flavourings Framework Directive)
There was no time available to discuss the Commission's partially completed proposal to amend Directive 88/388. However the Commission indicated that a revised proposal would be circulated prior to the next WG meeting and that it was likely to include the following: