New European legislation came into effect on 1 January this year. It changes the use of flavourings and the rules on labelling. And it doesn't stop there. Industry organisation, Bioforum, identifies more changes.

The new EU Regulation 2018/848 should have come into effect on 1 January last year, but was postponed due to the coronavirus crisis and the sheer complexity. It replaces three regulations: Regulation 834/2007 setting out the basic legislation, Regulation 889/2008 on the rules of production, and Regulation 1235/2008 concerning import and export rules.

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Flavourings in Organic Products

Flavourings generally contain two components: the component that gives the flavour, and a carrier, with or without additives. The food industry's rules on the use of natural flavourings have been tightened. The European legislation allows for two possibilities. Flavourings can be used, according to Bioforum, if they are organic or if they are ‘natural X flavourings’. These are natural flavourings in which at least 95% of the flavour is derived from the source material, such as natural lemon flavouring. The flavourings count as agricultural ingredients in the overall percentage of organic ingredients. 

The X flavourings must satisfy the general regulations on organic foods, such as no GMOs, no irradiation and no technically-manufactured nanomaterials.

The use of non-organic flavour components in organic products is permitted, provided it is no higher than 5%. This limit also applies to non-organic carriers and additives.  

Labelling

Another change in the European legislation concerns product labelling. If a product contains less than 95% organic ingredients, the term ‘organic’ cannot be used in the name. The organic ingredients can be listed in the ingredients on the product packaging, provided they satisfy the regulations on organic products.

More News on Organic Products 

Besides changes in the law on flavourings, the new EU Regulation 2018/848 brings in even more changes. The scope of the organic products regulation, for example, has been extended to some agricultural products including salt, beeswax (as a glazing agent for sweets: editor), natural gums (as a thickener, for example: editor).

The thickeners locust bean gum, guar gum and acacia gum, tara gum and glycerol must be organic as of 1 January. On 1 January 2023 gellan gum joins the list.

Permitted Technologies 

Technologies involving an ion-exchanging and adsorption resin are permitted only for wine and the production of organic, complete infant formula, follow-on infant baby food and processed grain-based foods for infants and toddlers, according to information from Bioforum, the industry organisation for organic agriculture and foodstuffs in Flanders. 

www.bioforum.be