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Food Additives
Codex Committee on Food Additives (Host Government - China)
The Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) establishes and endorses permitted maximum levels for individual food additives. The CCFA prepares priority lists of food additives for risk assessment by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives as well as assigning functional classes to individual food additives.
The committee also recommends specifications of identity and purity for food additives for adoption by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and considers methods of analysis for the determination of additives in food.
Existing Codex Standards
Standards relating to food additives* that have been endorsed and adopted into the international food code:
- General Standard for the Labelling of Food Additives when sold as such
- General Standard for Food Additives
- General Principles for the Use of Food Additives in Food
- List of Codex Advisory Specifications for Food Additives
- Guidelines for Simple Evaluation of Food Additive Intake
- Class Names and the International Numbering System for Food Additives
*This is an indicative list only. For a full list of standards approved by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, please consult its Official List of Standards.
Outcomes from the 31st Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission
The 31st Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission adopted the Draft and proposed draft Food Additive Provisions of the General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) at Steps 8 and 5/8. The Proposed draft revision of the Codex Class Names and International Numbering System for Food Additives – CAC/GL 36-2003” (N07-2005) was adopted at Step 8.
The Commission also adopted the proposed draft amendments to the International Numbering System (INS) for Food Additives and the Specifications for the Identity and Purity of Food Additives arising from the 68th JECFA meeting at Step 5/8.
Establishment of the Committee
The 29th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission adopted the terms of reference proposed for the CCFA, thereby deciding to replace the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC) with the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) and the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF). The Commission agreed that each Committee should review its terms of reference at its first session.
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Last Meeting
The Committee met for its 40th Session in Beijing, China, from 21 – 25 April 2008.
Matters for adoption/consideration by the 31st session of the Codex Alimetarius Commission:
Draft and proposed draft Standards and Related Texts for adoption at Steps 8 and 5/8
The Committee forwarded the:
- Draft and proposed draft food additive provisions of the General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA), for adoption at Step 8 and 5/8, respectively
- Proposed draft revision of the Food Category System of the GSFA (N11-2007), for adoption at Step 5/8
- Draft and proposed draft Guidelines for the Use of Flavourings (N03-2006), for adoption at step 8 (sections, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7) and at Step 5/8 (section 4)
- Draft revision of the Codex Class Names and International Numbering System (CAC/GL 36-1989) (N07-2005), for adoption at Step 8
- Proposed draft amendments to the International Numbering System for Food Additives, for adoption at Step 5/8, and
- Proposed draft Specifications for the Identity and Purity of Food Additives, for adoption at Step 5/8.
Codex standard and related texts for revocation
The Committee agreed to request the 31st Session of the Commission to revoke:
- Food additive provisions of the GSFA
- Codex General Requirements for Natural Flavourings (CAC/GL 29-1985), and
- Codex Specifications for Identity and Purity of Food Additives.
Proposals for the elaboration of new standards and related texts
The Committee agreed to submit to the 31st session of the Commission, through the 61st session of the Executive Committee, for approval:
- Project document – Proposal for new work on the Elaboration of Guidelines and Principles for Substances used as Processing Aids, and
- Priority List of Food Additives, proposed for Evaluation by JECFA.
Other Matters for adoption by the 31st Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission
The Committee forwarded:
- Amendment to the Annex to Table 3 of the GFSA to include the following footnote: “Acidity regulators, packaging gases and preservatives listed in Table 3 are acceptable for use in fermented milks, heat treated after fermentation, as defined in Codex Standard for Fermented Milks (CODEX STAN 243-2004) that correspond to food category 01.2.1.2 “Fermented milks (plain), heat treated after fermentation”
- Amendments to the provisions for colours of the GSFA in food categories and related sub-categories: 04.1.1, 04.2.1, 08.1 and 09.1 to include Notes 4 and 16, for adoption, and
- Consequential revision in the Annex to Table 3 of the GSFA and in the food additive section of the Codex Standard for Butter (CODEX STAN A-1-1971) to reflect the revision of the Food Category System of the GSFA.
Other matters for information by the 31st session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission
The Committee agreed:
- To discontinue work on a number of draft and proposed draft food additive provisions of the GSFA
- To amend draft and proposed draft provisions for colours of the GSFA in food categories 04.1.1, 04.2.1, 08.1 and 09.1 and related sub-categories to include Notes 4 and 16, and
- To include a number of new food additive provisions at step 3 and 4 in the GSFA.
Endorsement and/or revision of maximum level for food additivies and processing aids in Codex standards
Committee on Milk and Milk Products (CCMMP)
The Committee noted that there were a number of inconsistencies in the names of additives with INS nomenclature, and therefore requested the Secretariat to review all provisions to make them consistent with INS nomenclature.
The Committee:
Codex standards for milk and milk products: maximum levels for annatto extracts, including consequential changes to the provisions for carotene, beta- (vegetable)
- Endorsed the provisions for annatto extracts, including consequential changes to the provisions for carotene, beta-(vegetable), as proposed by the Eighth Session of the CCMMP.
List of food additives of the Standard for Fermented Milk (CODEX STAN 243-2003), including food additives provisions for Drinks Based on Fermented Milk
- Endorsed all provisions as proposed by the 8th session of the CCMMP, with the exception of lycopene.
Proposed draft amendment to the list of food additives for the Codex Standard for Creams and Prepared Creams (CODEX STAN A-9-1976)
- Endorsed all provisions as proposed by the 8th session of the CCMMP, with some amendment to delete the text “For use only in whipped creams (including creams packed under pressure)” from the title of the functional class following ‘Propellant’, and
- Agreed to endorse the provision for diacetyltartaric and fatty acid esters of glycerol (INS 472e) at a maximum level of 5000 mg/kg as a stabilizer/tickener, pending a final decision on the inclusion of this additive by the 31st Session of the Commission.
Matter Referred to Codex Committees and Task Forces
Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products (CCFFP)
The Committee agreed to inform the CCFFP of its current work on the provisions for annatto extracts (bixin-based and norbixin-based) in the GSFA and to suggest the CCFFP to take these provisions into account when providing the clarification, as requested at its 39th Session, on the types of annatto extracts and the basis (bixin or norbixin) in Codex standards for fish and fishery products.
Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL)
The Committee agreed to inform the next session of the CCFL of the completion of the revision of the Codex Class Names and International Numbering System.
Codex Committee on Milk and Milk Products (CCMMP)
The Committee agreed to request clarification from the CCMMP as to the type of lycopene on which were based the maximum levels for lycopenes in the Standard for Fermented Milks as well as the technical justification for these levels.
Codex Committee on Nutrition and Food for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU)
The Committee agreed to refer its discussion on carrageenan and PES and the report of the 68th JECFA evaluation of these two substances to the 30th session of the CCNFSDU.
The Committee agreed to forward a reply to the CCNFSDU concerning the applicability of ADIs to infants and young children.
Other Matters of Interest
Working Groups
The Committee agreed to establish:
Physical Working Group
GSFA: to consider:
(i) the recommendations contained in document CX/FA 08/40/5 Part B and related written comments that had not been considered at the present session
(ii) comments and information on the proposed draft provisions for magnesium sulfate in Table 3 and the new proposals for the use of magnesium sulfate in food categories listed in the Annex to Table 3
(iii) comments on the new proposed draft provisions listed in Appendix VI part 1 and additional information on proposed draft and draft food additive provisions
(iv) proposals for new food additive provisions in the relevant sub-categories of 02.2 and in food categories 0.6, 12.9 and 12.10 and related sub-categories, and
(v) report of the electronic Working Group on the GSFA and related comments (to be held immediately prior to its next session and chaired by the USA).
Electronic Working Groups
- Scope of selected food categories and use of colours: to prepare a discussion paper that would fully describe and contain proposals to address the scope of the products included in food category 16.0 “Composite foods – food that could not be placed in categories 1-15” and in food category 5.1 “Cocoa products and chocolate products including imitation and chocolate substitutes” and related sub-categories; and the use of colours in products included in food category 8.1 “Fresh meat, poultry and game” (host country: USA)
- GSFA: to prepare a report containing recommendations for adoption, revision or discontinuation for: ammonium salts of phosphatidic acid (INS 442); nisin (INS 234); sorbates (INS 200-203); sucroglycerides (INS 474); phosphates (338, 339i-iii, 340i-iii, 341i-iii, 342i-ii, 343i-ii, 450i-iii, 450i-iii, 451i-ii, 452i-v, 452); stearyl citrate (INS 484); cyclodextrin, beta- (INS 459); propyl gallate (INS 310); ascorbyl esters (INS 304, 305); and hydroxybenzoates, p- (INS 214, 218); and to consider the provisions for aspartame-acesulfame (INS 962) to ensure consistency with the provisions for aspartame (INS 951) and acesulfame potassium (INS 950) for circulation for comments (host country: USA), and
- Guidelines and principles of substances used as processing aids: to prepare a proposed draft document for circulation for comments at step 3, subject to approval by the 31st Session of the Commission, and subsequent consideration by the next session of the Committee (host country: Indonesia).
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Next Meeting
The 41st Session of the CCFA has been scheduled to be held in Beijing, China, from 16-20 March 2009.
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