EU states have decided to ban certain artificial smoke flavorings used by the food industry. The decision was taken based on the recommendations of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Flavorings, which give the specific smoky taste, have been associated by several studies with cancer, infertility and genotoxicity, which is why they should no longer be present in food.
Artificial smoke flavorings are genotoxic
EFSA did not investigate the limit amount that could be ingested to avoid health threats, but said a total ban would prevent “worst-case scenarios”.
The regulation, which will be formally adopted by the Commission in the coming weeks, sets out various phase-out periods to give manufacturers and operators time to adapt to the new rules. Thus when used to replace traditional smoking (eg ham, fish, cheeses), the elimination period is 5 years. For uses where smoke flavoring is added for additional flavor (eg, soups, chips, sauces), the phase-out period will be 2 years.
Companies in the field have announced that they will use the transition period to develop an alternative.
The traditional wood fire is not an alternative
Until the 1970s, sausages were smoked over wood fires, but this alternative is no longer used in the industry due to the harmful effects of wood smoke on human health and the environment.
Artificial smoky flavors are often used in the food industry to give foods a specific smoky taste and aroma. These flavors are created to mimic the taste of smoked products such as bacon, smoked meats, smoked cheeses and other foods that go through smoking processes.
The process of making artificial smoky flavors often involves the use of chemicals that mimic the natural compounds found in the smoke produced during the smoking process. These chemicals are often synthesized to reproduce the desired flavors consistently and without the need to expose the food to actual smoke.
In the Netherlands, for example, the sausage maker Unox makes 16 million “rookworst” annually using these flavors.
