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EFSA’s risk assessment of smoke flavouring Primary Product FF-B

maandag 25 juni 2007

EFSA is currently evaluating the safety of a number of smoke flavourings. These products are added to a range of foods and until recently were not subject to any authorisation process for use in Europe. EFSA is assessing applications from companies on the safety of their smoke flavouring Primary Products to inform European decision makers in authorising their use in foods.

One of the smoke flavourings being assessed, named Primary Product FF-B, raised concern. The AFC Panel[1] concluded that Primary Product FF-B can be regarded as weakly genotoxic in vivo ( i.e. animal testing has shown that it can damage DNA, the genetic material in cells). The Panel therefore could not establish its safety in use when added to food.

EFSA has sent the risk assessment to the Commission to help inform their consideration of the necessity of any further measures. The petitioner informed EFSA, on 23 April, of the company’s decision to withdraw the application and to stop all activities shipping the Primary Product FF-B or derived products to the EU.

EFSA is continuing its work on assessing the safety of the remainder of the smoke flavourings for which applications have been made for authorisation.

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