IADSA Keeps Up the Fight for Reasonable Food Additive Levels

12/11/07 Work is underway to help Codex adopt suitable levels for colours used in food supplements, IADSA has said, as additives continue to face scrutiny into next year, the lobby group has said.

The International Alliance for Dietary/Food Supplement Associations (IADSA) said that while it supports the adoption of some additives at the levels currently recommended for the Codex General Standard for Food Additives, a number of colours are still at recommended levels which are too low.

This year Codex adopted a number of key sweeteners and additives at levels proposed by IADSA.

Recommendations for the final sweetener on the list, Aspartame-Acesulfame Salt, and a number of colours such as Iron Oxides and Caramel Colours (classes III and IV) are currently being devised by an electronic Working Group on the General Standard for Food Additives, of which IADSA is a member.

At present, the electronic Working Group supports the adoption of all colours, but in some cases at lower levels than those proposed by IADSA.

“We are pleased to help contribute to Codex’s work to improve the General Standard for Food Additives,” said David Pineda, IADSA’s Director of Regulatory Affairs. “Our aim is to ensure that the adopted levels are both safe for consumers and consistent with those widely used by the global food supplement industry. Through our member associations we will continue to provide the necessary technical information to support the levels we propose.”

The electronic Working Group will provide its recommendations on the colours in question for consideration by the next meeting of the Codex Committee on Food Additives in April 2008.