Food additives in the spotlight

What are the current issues and challenges in the area of food additives? What is the legal situation for food additives at European level? Is it possible to standardise analytical methods? These and other questions will be the focus of the international conference "Spotlight: Food additives - Status quo on chemical analysis and European regulations" on 26 and 27 November 2024 in Berlin. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has been involved in the health assessment of food additives for many years and is offering international experts a platform at the event to exchange views on developments in this area, consider challenges from different perspectives and create synergies. "The application of efficient, standardised analytical methods for food additives helps to strengthen consumer health protection and improve food safety. The BfR supports the competent authorities in the development and validation of such analytical methods," says BfR President Professor Dr Dr Dr h. c. Andreas Hensel.

Programme and registration: https://www.bfr-akademie.de/english/events/foadd2024.html

Since 2010, the Member States of the European Union (EU) have been obliged to systematically monitor the consumption and use of food additives on the basis of a risk-based approach. In addition, a common methodology for the gathering of information by the Member States on dietary intake of food additives is to be established. Such a methodology is currently being developed, although suitable analytical methods have only been standardised for a few food additives. This means that comprehensive monitoring of the use of food additives is currently severely limited. The National Reference Laboratory for Food Additives and Flavourings at the BfR coordinates the activities of the responsible official laboratories and authorities in Germany with the aim of harmonising and improving analytical methods. The focus here is on methods for determining levels and detecting unauthorised substances.

Over two conference days, international stakeholders from politics, science and industry will come together to discuss topics such as developments and findings of official control in relation to European legislation, scientific evaluation and standardisation. The conference will begin with presentations from representatives of the European Commission and food safety authorities. One focus will be on the implementation of the control programme. In addition, European and national reference laboratories will present themselves, including the recently appointed European Union Reference Laboratory for Food Improvement Agents. On the second day of the event, experts from science and industry will present hot topics relating to food additives and current trends in analysis.