Symrise Adapts its Portfolio of Colorants to Comply with New Directive

SymColor is Symrise's answer to the new EC directive about additives, which include food colorings. The fragrance and flavoring manufacturer has adapted its popular portfolio of colorants specifically to comply with the new legislation.

15 Oct 2009 --- The new EC directive on colorants is creating multiple challenges for the food industry. In response, Symrise has restructured its SymColor portfolio of colorants so that manufacturers can not only prevent labeling problems, they can also offer consumers natural foods.

SymColor is Symrise's answer to the new EC directive about additives, which include food colorings. The fragrance and flavoring manufacturer has adapted its popular portfolio of colorants specifically to comply with the new legislation. This means Symrise can supply food manufacturers with contemporary dyes and food colorings while also helping them fulfill the growing demand for natural products.

The new EC directive on food additives becomes mandatory on January 20, 2010. Consequently, from July 20, 2010 onward foods which contain certain artificial colorings (including orange yellow, quinoline yellow and azorubine) will have to be labeled with the warning “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.”

SymColor and the wide-ranging consultation that Symrise experts offer to go with it can eliminate these labeling problems. SymColor provides an extensive selection of colorants for use in food, letting manufacturers select the exact shade they want and still comply with labeling requirements.

Symrise’ new portfolio of colorants features two categories:

- SymColor natural colorings provide authentic colorants for appetizing products. Natural colorings, as the name implies, come from components found in nature. The portfolio also contains synthetic colorings which have a molecular structure that is identical to that of natural colorings.
- SymColor colorant foods are derived from natural raw materials such as grapes, hibiscus, tomatoes, beets and other plants. These products are considered ingredients, not colorings, which means they do not need to be labeled with an E-number. They are a wise choice whenever there is emphasis on the naturalness of a food.

Dirk Bennwitz, Senior Vice President of Business Unit Sweet at Symrise, comments, “SymColor is our way of presenting a contemporary palette of colorings which are tailored to the needs of modern consumers. In other words, you can now make food that tastes good and looks good but is still part of a health-conscious diet.”

Beyond that, Dirk Bennwitz also emphasizes Symrise's competence in providing industry guidance: “The new legislation doesn't always make it easy for food manufacturers to understand the extent to which they are affected. They can turn to us for consultation to get a quick overview, no strings attached.”