Denmark repeals national dairy flavouring rules

02-Jun-2010 - Last updated on 03-Jun-2010 at 09:32 GMT

Denmark has repealed its national law requiring flavourings for dairy products to go through a risk assessment and approval process, as the EU positive list is finalised and harmonisation is on the cards across Europe.

In 1992 Denmark introduced its own legislation covering dairy flavours because at the time there was no positive list of approved flavours for the entire EU. The authorities were especially concerned about flavours in dairy products because children tend to consume a lot of dairy foods. They required usage amounts of flavourings to be specified.

The repeal, which was rubber stamped at the end of May, will be welcomed by flavour companies and food manufacturers who have had to go through a lengthy procedure before launching products on the Danish dairy market.

The new European flavour regulation (Regulation (EC) No. 1334/2008) came into force on 20 January 2009 and becomes applicable on 20 January 2011.

This is the culmination of a decade’s work to bring harmony to European food flavouring regulations. In 1999 a temporary EU positive list was published, covering all flavouring substances, not just those used in dairy. This temporary list formed the basis for EFSA’s flavour evaluation work. With this work complete, the European Commission is expected to confirm the positive, common list of approved flavours for the whole of Europe soon.

A spokesperson for the Danish food ministry Fødevarestyrelsen told FoodNavigator.com that the advanced stage of harmonisation means the member state’s separate rules are deemed no longer necessary.

Enzyme rules

Denmark also has its own rules on approval of enzymes for use as processing aids, which until the new enzyme regulation (No. 1331/2008) have not had to go through an approval process in most member states (France has been another exception).

No announcement has been made to date about a repeal of the enzyme rules to date.