Regulation 2010/257 - Programme for the re-evaluation of approved food additives in accordance with Regulation 1333/2008 on food additives - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 80/19

Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 requires the Commission to set up a programme for the re-evaluation, by the European Food Safety Authority (hereinafter referred to as ‘EFSA’), of the safety of food additives that were already permitted in the Union before 20 January 2009.

In 2007, the Commission presented a report to the European Parliament and the Council on the progress of the re-evaluation of food additives (2). That report provides a summary of the recent additive re-evaluations undertaken by the Scientific Committee on Food (‘SCF’) and EFSA and describes the related actions taken by the European Commission on the basis of the scientific opinions.

The re-evaluation of food colours has already been started with priority, since these food additives have the oldest evaluations by the SCF. The re-evaluation of certain colours (namely E 102 Tartrazine, E 104 Quinoline Yellow, E 110 Sunset Yellow FCF, E 124 Ponceau 4R, E 129 Allura Red AC and E 122 Carmoisine, E 160d lycopene) has already been completed. In addition, some food additives such as E 234 Nisin and E 214–219 Para-hydroxybenzoates were re-evaluated in recent years since new scientific data was requested or became otherwise available. As a consequence, those additives do not need to be re-evaluated again.

Taking into account that sweeteners have the most recent evaluations they should be re-evaluated the last.

The order of priorities for the re-evaluation of the currently approved food additives should be set on the basis of the following criteria: the time since the last evaluation of a food additive by the SCF or by EFSA, the availability of new scientific evidence, the extent of use of a food additive in food and the human exposure to the food additive taking also into account the outcome of the Report from the Commission on Dietary Food Additive Intake in the EU (3) of 2001. The report ‘Food additives in Europe 2000 (4)’ submitted by the Nordic Council of Ministers to the Commission, provides additional information for the prioritisation of additives for re-evaluation.

For efficiency and practical purposes, the re-evaluation should, as far as possible, be conducted by group of food additives according to the main functional class to which they belong. EFSA should however be in a position to start the re-evaluation of a food additive or a group of food additives with higher priority, on a request from the Commission or on its own initiative, if new scientific evidence emerges that indicates a possible risk for human health or which in any way may affect the assessment of the safety of a food additive.

Deadlines for the re-evaluation should be established in accordance with that order of priorities. In duly justified cases and only when such re-evaluation may delay substantially the re-evaluation of other food additives, the deadlines laid down in this Regulation may be revised.

More specific deadlines for individual food additives or groups of food additives may be set in the future, in order to allow the smooth running of the re-evaluation process or in...