Food flavorings are preparations widely used for food processing and home cooking to enhance the smell and taste of food. Because of increasing demand for consumer protection, the general population has recently paid much greater attention to the safety of food flavors. Legislation controlling the use of food flavors vary among countries. The US Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) has evaluated and approved near 3, 000 substances as FEMA GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) flavors. In Taiwan, there are only 90 items of food flavorings complying with the safety rules of the US FEMA, and Taiwan FDA has officially approved these substances for use as food flavors. Currently, many of flavors used in food businesses and industries, and home cooks remain unevaluated and not fully regulated in Taiwan. Information on daily intakes or exposures to these flavorings are yet unavailable for a risk assessment. In line with the international standards, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has started to propose an updated additive list with a greater variety of flavors. To better consolidate the safety of food flavoring use in Taiwan, it is imperative in the future to update the items of food flavorings for control and to establish the safety criteria by conducting a risk assessment for all flavoring substances.
Date:
2016-02
Relation:
Taiwan Journal of Public Health. 2016 Feb;35(1):9-16.
