FDBusiness.com

The European Commission and member states have voted to ban a flavouring compound, following an EFSA opinion on its safety published last week, which found that the ingredient was of concern.

The flavour, 3-acetyl-2,5-dimethylthiophene, gives a burnt, nutty flavour to confectionery, baked goods and some savoury products. However, it is not widely used; EFSA estimates that total annual use in the European Union is just 2.3 kg – but in assessing the flavouring’s safety, the food safety body found safety concerns in both in vitro and in vivo studies in mice.

EFSA did not carry out an exposure assessment, but said in a document: “The possible risk to consumers who may have been exposed to this substance in food is expected to be very small.”

The substance also occurs naturally in boiled and cooked meats, and is produced as a flavouring by a small number of manufacturers and used in a limited number of foods, it said.