working group additives

Analytical topics

• Additives and their analysis (purity requirements, detection in the food matrix, contaminant analysis)
• JECFA methods (FAO/WHO); Section 64 methods
• Cooperation between reference laboratories (national – European)

Food law topics

• Food law provisions (e.g. Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008)
• Scientific issues (including technological efficacy)
• Purity criteria (Regulation (EU) No 231/2012)
• Questions of distinction between additives / processing aids / nutrients / food ingredients (e.g. dietary fibre as an additive or nutrient)
• Exchange on developments regarding the authorisation of additives in the EU
• Labelling of additives in foods and in business-to-business distribution
• Safety issues relating to additives (e.g. discussion of current EFSA opinions)

• Distinction between colourings and colouring foods (2024) (pdf)
• Food law status of food cultures (2023) (pdf)
• Statement on the use of plant extracts rich in technologically active ingredients (2020) (pdf)
• Application of the Regulation on food hygiene (852/2004/EC) to the production of food additives (2005) (pdf)

Please note that access to the publications in "food chemistry" is reserved for subscribers to the journal.

• Poster contribution Working Group Additives LM Chemistry Days 2025
• Häseler, J. (2025) Conference report II “Dietary fibre – much more than roughage
• Sieg, J. (2025) Concentrated dietary fibre based on the J. Rettenmaier portfolio
• Bunzel, M. (2025) Can analytical methods capture the chemical diversity of dietary fibre?
• Nagel, A. (2025) Reformulation of foods with extrinsic dietary fibre
• Kerlikowsky, F. (2025) Dietary fibre – a nutritional physiological perspective
• Scherb-Forster, J. (2025) Plant fibre preparations for food – between additive and nutrient, food fraud or benefit?
• Gelbert, J. (2025) Questions of interpretation in food law from the perspective of the food industry
  

References

• Ed. Muermann | Rexroth | Sumfleth: Handbook of Food additives, Behr‘s Verlag, Hamburg
• P. Kuhnert: Dictionary of Food additives, 4th ed., 2014, Behr‘s Verlag, Hamburg
• R. Matissek & M. Fischer: Food Analysis, 2nd ed., Springer Spektrum, 2021
• Michael and Irene Ash: Handbook of Food Additives, 3rd Ed., Synapse Information Resources Inc., 2008
• Jim Smith: Food Additive User’s Handbook, Springer science+business media, LLC, 1996

Further Internet Sites:

• Germany
  BMEL - Approval and use of food additives
  BfR - Food additives
  BfR - Commission for food additives, flavorings and processing aids
  Food Association Germany - Food additives
  VCI - Guideline for good hygiene practice in the manufacture of food additives
  
• EU
  European Commission - Additives
  EFSA - Food additives
  
• Codex Alimentarius
  Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA)
  Codex General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) Online Database
  JECFA – Database on Evaluations of JECFA
  JECFA – Combined Compendium of Food Additives Specifications

These statements no longer reflect the current state of knowledge and are intended solely for documentation purposes, not for further use in current discussions.

• Statement on wheat straw fibre (“wheat fibre”) (2012) (pdf)
• Protective cultures as additives? (2012) (pdf)
• Aluminium in food additives and in substances for special nutritional purposes (2008) (pdf)