FEMA Launches Online Resource Library for Flavor Ingredients
24 Sep 2015 --- The Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) has launched its online Flavor Ingredient Library, a free and easily accessible resource for researchers, the media, and consumers seeking information on substances that are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for use as flavor ingredients.
“The Library delivers comprehensive access to information on the safety of ingredients used to create the flavors we all enjoy,” said John Cox, FEMA’s Executive Director. “It builds on FEMA’s long history of transparency around flavor ingredient safety issues – the Library provides easier access to information researchers, media and consumers are looking for.”
While the information in the Flavor Ingredient Library has been publicly available previously through various governmental websites, scholarly journals and other sources, the Library now provides all the information in one easily accessible place. Each ingredient’s safety has been reviewed by the independent and respected FEMA Expert Panel, composed of academic researchers and medical doctors, which has published its findings in scholarly journals since the early 1960s.
“Consumers increasingly want easier access to information about the safety of the ingredients in the food and beverages they enjoy every day. FEMA’s Flavor Ingredient Library responds to that interest and enables consumers to feel secure and confident in the safety of flavor ingredients used in those foods and beverages,” Cox concluded.
Mathew Gulick, Communications Director at FEMA told FoodIngredientsFirst: “We believe the biggest gap [in understading around flavors] is simply a lack of awareness amongst consumers of the role flavors and the flavor industry play in today’s food system.”
“Ultimately, what is most important to consumers is the knowledge that the ingredients used to create flavor experiences have been evaluated and that their safety has been verified by an independent group of experts. Though the findings have been publicly available for decades, researchers now have easier access to the information relevant to the safety determination of these ingredients,” he said.
