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Food Improvements Agents
The term Food Improvement Agents covers food additives, food flavourings and food enzymes. These are substances that can be added to foods under specific conditions to help maintain or improve the product’s properties during its shelf-life. They are regulated at EU level in the “Food Improvement Agent Package” (FIAP) adopted in December 2008.
The FIAP repealed and progressively replace a number of directives and regulations, including Directive 89/107/EEC on food additives authorised for use in foodstuffs and Regulation 1996/2232/EC that laid down a Community procedure for flavouring substances used or intended for use in or on foodstuffs.
The EU rules on food additives, enzymes and flavourings are now established in:
- Regulation EC 1331/2008 - EU authorisation for food additives, food enzymes and food flavourings.
- Regulation EC 1332/2008 - food enzymes
- Regulation EC 1333/2008 - food additives
- Regulation EC 1334/2008 - flavourings and certain food ingredients with flavouring properties
The European Commission has developed a Food Additives Database. It is based on the Union list of food additives and can serve as a tool to inform about the food additives approved for use in food in the EU and their conditions of use.