Chemicals used by manufacturers to give a smoky taste to food are to be banned by the European Commission. They can damage the body’s cells.
- “Smoky taste” flavors added to industrial foods will be banned.
- According to the European Food Safety Agency, eight substances used to give this flavour pose risks of genotoxicity.
- This can damage cells and lead to diseases, including cancer.
Some flavours will disappear from supermarket shelves. The European Commission will ban eight chemicals used to give foods a smoky flavour. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) had previously published a report on these products. They present risks of genotoxicity, or “the ability of a chemical substance to damage the genetic material of cells”the organization specified.
“Smoke” aroma: a risk of genotoxicity
Used by industry, these smoke flavors can be added to meat, fish, chips, sauces, pizzas, or even cheese. They are an alternative to the traditional smoking process: to make them, manufacturers liquefy wood smoke.The eight products that have just been assessed have been marketed in the EU for ten years.“, says EFSA.
Last November, it published the results of its safety assessment of these additives.Based on the available scientific evidence, we could not exclude genotoxicity risks for any of the eight smoke flavours, says Wim Mennes, chair of EFSA’s working group on flavouring substances. Changes or mutations in the genetic information within a cell can increase the risk of developing conditions such as cancer or hereditary diseases. It is not possible to define a safe level for this type of toxicity..”
HAS TF1, Elsa Abdoun, food expert at the magazine What to choose, confirms that these additives pose a significant health risk.”These are potentially mutations, they can cause cancers, (…) diseases that can be transmitted to descendants, to children”she emphasizes.
Industrial “smoke” aromas will disappear within two to five years
On April 24, the European Commission announced that these additives would be phased out.”Member States have approved a Commission proposal not to renew the authorisation of eight smoke flavourings for foodstuffsthe statement said. After a phase-out period, the use of these flavourings will no longer be permitted in the EU.”
For products used to replace traditional smoking, manufacturers have five years to stop using the eight additives. For situations where they are used to add flavour, such as in crisps, they have two years to phase them out. On the other hand, naturally smoked products, such as ham or salmon, contain natural flavours and are therefore not banned.
