The new ADIs for three of the colours included in the Southampton study may mean restrictions on levels or the range of foods they are used in, says the UK’s FSA. Campaigners, meanwhile, are still calling for an outright ban.
Symrise has reorganised its natural food colourings range and is now offering tailored advice to manufacturers that want to avoid artificial hues that will soon require off-putting warnings on labels.
Chr Hansen has developed a new natural white colour from calcium carbonate, which it claims is the first non-chemical alternative to titanium dioxide available to coated confectionery and chewing gum manufacturers.
New applications for iPhone are giving consumers instant access to information on food additives by entering the E-number – but there are questions about the science used to support the safety opinions.
A verdict on the safety of the ‘Southampton six’ food colours is imminent after the EFSA confirmed its food additives panel is scheduled to discuss the review findings later this month.
Strong and stable gels producedby subjecting pectin to the action of enzymes may offer alternatives to acid-sugar gels already used in foods, says new research from Korean and American scientists.
A UK manufacturer of traditional seaside rock has been fined for using too high levels of Ponceau 4R, one of the ‘Southampton Six’ colours implicated a study of hyperactivity in children.
Cadbury and Mars are attracting severe criticism from food campaigners, who say they have not fulfilled promises to remove certain artificial food colours from products by the end of 2008.
Danisco has entered a partnership with a leading manufacturer of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), allowing the firm to expand its range of hydrocolloid ingredients.
The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published a list of food products that have been voluntarily reformulated to remove six food colours associated with hyperactivity in young children.
Cutting the cost of cake-making by removing the use of eggs may be achievable by combining a hydrocolloid with a suitable emulsifier, says new research from India.
A survey into the levels of colourings in food products in Australia showed usage far below the maximum permitted levels (MPL); FSANZ says this shows there is no public health risk associated with their use.
Additive and enzyme associations have welcomed the adoption of the new FIAP package on additives, flavourings and enzymes – but concern remains about the Southampton colours warning.
Soft drinks on sale in the UK were seen to have a near 100 per cent compliance with maximum levels of benzoates and sorbates used as preservatives, a survey by the Food Standards Agency has shown.
Allura Red is due to go up for discussion by the EFSA’s food additives panel in January, as the food safety agency fast tracks assessment of the ‘Southampton six’ in its broader review of food colourings used in the EU.
UK ministers have agreed with a Food Standards Agency proposal on voluntary phasing out of the ‘Southampton six’ food colours by the end of 2009, according the agency’s chief executive.
Food additives in alginate-based gel will affect the characteristics of the resulting gel, with new information from the US sure to help food scientists optimise formulations.
Food makers must be on the alert for contaminated consignments of guar gum after Czech authorities detect unacceptable levels of toxic dioxins in a border batch.
The Australian and New Zealand food safety regulator is mulling a part reversal of a 1990s restriction on the use of coal-based dye erythrosine, after receiving a petition for its use in colourings for bakery icings.
Calls to ban the Southampton colours are reverberating around the world, as week campaigners in Australia called on FSANZ to phase out the additives implicated in hyperactivity like its UK counterpart.
Mars says it will continue to reformulate its products to remove artificial colours, additives and saturated fats where feasible, as it launches a new advertising campaign to play up its ingredient commitments.
In the third of a four part series on natural colours, FoodNavigator looks at the regulatory situation in the US and Europe and the challenges this poses for food manufacturers and ingredients companies.
Swiss ingredients firm Jungbunzlauer is to invest €50m in
increasing capacity of its plants in Europe and improving the
efficiency of its production lines.
Whether pectin will ever be more than a gelling agent and
stabiliser and be labelled as a health ingredient depends on
science and money. In the second part of an in-depth special
series, FoodNavigator examines the health claims for...
An extract from the leaves of the mulberry bush may act as a
hydrocolloid, with potentially unique properties for food
formulators, says new research from Taiwan.
Sweeteners and colourings in food aimed at children should be
banned, while additives ought to be used in other products only if
they provide an advantage to the consumer, said the EU Environment
Committee.
CP Kelco is exploring alternative uses for its UK xanthan gum plant
having completed the first phase of its closure after cost
pressures compromised its viability forcing it to cease production.
Food supplements manufacturers may have to reformulate thousands of
products aimed at both children and adults if calls for bans on the
use of certain artificial colours become reality.
Cadbury Schweppes has pledged to remove all artificial colorings
from its confectionery products by the end of the year in response
to concerns over their possible effects on behavior.
Artificial colours linked to hyperactivity in children by the
Southampton study should be phased out in Europe, said the UK Food
Standards Agency today.
The Peruvian berry Berberis boliviana Lechler is a rich
source of pigments that could naturally colour products like
yoghurts and replace synthetics, suggests new research from the US.
Hydrocolloids producer and distributor Alfred L Wolff is to sell
off part of its business to concentrate on its key functional
products, gum arabic and agar-agar.
Cargill is continuing its long-term investment in its hydrocolloids
business with a €3m investment in its factory in Baupte, France,
which is aimed at improving productivity and maintaining the
highest quality standards.
Prices for hydrocolloids in the US are expected to continue rising
in 2008, while more progress is being made to meet growing demand
for organic products, according to market analyst IMR
International.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has put together a
working group to provide the European Commission and EU member
states with scientific advice on the effects of food additives on
behaviour by the end of February.
The adoption of draft opinions on the safety of six food colours is
on hold pending EFSA's review of the Southampton study on certain
food additives and hyperactivity in children.
Alginate supplier International Specialty Products (ISP) is the
latest ingredients firm to hike up its prices, announcing the
implementation of the new levels as of
November 1.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has announced it will
prioritise its own review of the six colours at the heart of the
recent study linking certain artificial additives with children's
hyperactivity.
The UK's FSA has issued its harshest judgement on the food
industry's use of artificial colour and preservatives yet,
following the publication of the Southampton study at the beginning
of the month, and is calling for action...
Jungbunzlauer has announced price increases affecting citric acid,
sodium citrate, gluconates and xanthan gum as it offsets its own
costs, an adjustment seen as aiding economic stability in the
marketplace.
Hydrocolloid supplier CP Kelco has announced it is to shutter its
xanthan gum plant in the UK, which has been squeezed by cost
pressures into an unprofitable market.
A safety assessment of the widely used hydrocolloid hydroxypropyl
methylcellulose (HPMC) has shown that everyday intake is well below
any level that may cause safety concerns.
The Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) is calling for
comments and additional information on uses of certain compounds,
including sweeteners and colors, in order to assess their inclusion
in the Codex General Standards for Food...
The trend towards reducing the fat content in food products is
contributing to growth in the emulsifiers market, as R&D
produces new ingredients that can help healthier products taste as
good as the original full fat versions.
Researchers in New Zealand are exploring the potential of buttercup
squash as a source of pectin, and could offer industry a novel
ingredient with new properties.
