Caramel colours: consumer exposure lower than previously estimated
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has revised its estimate of consumer exposure Concentration or amount of a particular substance that is taken in by an individual, population or ecosystem in a specific frequency over a certain amount of time. to three caramel colours (E 150a, E 150c, E 150d) used in a variety of foods and beverages. Using new data on the levels of three caramel colours (E 150a, E 150c, E 150d) as they are used in food and drinks as well as new consumption data, EFSA has concluded that consumer exposure to these colours is considerably lower than that expressed in the Authority’s 2011 scientific opinion Opinions include risk assessments on general scientific issues, evaluations of an application for the authorisation of a product, substance or claim, or an evaluation of a risk assessment.. In most cases, the revised exposure estimate is below the Acceptable Daily Intake ( ADI An estimate of the amount of a substance in food or drinking water that can be consumed daily over a lifetime without presenting an appreciable risk to health. It is usually expressed as milligrams of the substance per kilogram of body weight per day and applies to chemical substances such as food additives, pesticide residues and veterinary drugs.) established by EFSA’s experts in 2011. However, for toddlers and adults whose intake The amount of a substance (e.g. nutrient or chemical) that is ingested by a person or animal via the diet. is very high, exposure may exceed the ADIs for the caramel E 150c. The main sources of exposure to E 150c are bakery wares for toddlers and alcoholic drinks for adults.
In its 2011 opinion, EFSA’s Scientific Panel on Additives and Nutrient An element or compound needed for normal growth, development and health maintenance. Essential nutrients cannot be made by the body and must, therefore, be consumed from food. Sources Added to Food (ANS Panel) carried out a complete re-evaluation of the safety of these three colours plus one other (E 150b) and established ADIs for their use in food. Given their similar chemical properties and uses in food, the ANS Panel also set a group ADI An estimate of the amount of a substance in food or drinking water that can be consumed daily over a lifetime without presenting an appreciable risk to health. It is usually expressed as milligrams of the substance per kilogram of body weight per day and applies to chemical substances such as food additives, pesticide residues and veterinary drugs. of 300 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day (mg/kg bw/day) for combined exposure to all four caramel colours (with a restrictive ADI of 100 mg/kg bw/day for E 150c within the group ADI). Based on the more limited scientific information available at the time, the 2011 opinion concluded that it was possible that the use of caramel colours in foods may lead to exposures in excess of the ADIs.
In its new statement, EFSA has refined its estimate of likely exposure to caramel colours in food based on new data provided by industry in 2012 on use levels in products ready to be consumed and consumption data available in the EFSA Comprehensive European Food Consumption Database. Estimates of consumer exposure through the diet to the three caramel colours individually is considerably lower than in the previous exposure assessment One of the key steps in risk assessment, this relates to a thorough evaluation of who, or what, has been exposed to a hazard and a quantification of the amounts involved. and – with the exception of E 150c for toddlers and adults with high consumption levels – no longer exceed the ADIs. The combined exposure estimates of the four caramel colours do not exceed the group ADI An estimate of the amount of a substance in food or drinking water that can be consumed daily over a lifetime without presenting an appreciable risk to health. It is usually expressed as milligrams of the substance per kilogram of body weight per day and applies to chemical substances such as food additives, pesticide residues and veterinary drugs. of 300 mg/kg bw/day for any population Community of humans, animals or plants from the same species. group.
This latest work reviewing consumer exposure to caramel colours used in foods and beverages complements EFSA’s previous risk assessment A specialised field of applied science that involves reviewing scientific data and studies in order to evaluate risks associated with certain hazards. It involves four steps: hazard identification, hazard characterisation, exposure assessment and risk characterisation. on these colours carried out in the context of the Authority’s on-going re-evaluation of all food colours currently authorised in the EU. EFSA’s scientific advice will help to inform decisions of EU policy makers in relation to food colours.
- Caramel colours are added to food to give a deeper shade of brown and are widely used in a variety of foods including non-alcoholic flavoured drinks, confectionary, soups, seasonings and alcoholic drinks such as beer, cider and whisky.
- Caramel colours are complex mixtures of compounds produced by carefully controlled heat treatment of carbohydrates A family of nutritional substances that includes sugars, starches and fibres. (sugars). They are classified into four categories depending on the reagent used in their manufacture (ammonia and/or sulphite or no reagent), and generally known by the E numbers E150a, E150b, E150c, and E150b.
- The Acceptable Daily Intake is the amount of a substance that people can consume on a daily basis during their entire lifetime without any appreciable risk to health. See EFSA’s Understanding Science video: Chemicals in food – establishing safe levels of use
- The EFSA Comprehensive Food Consumption Database is a source of information on food consumption across the European Union (EU). It contains detailed consumption data for a number of EU countries. The database plays a key role in the evaluation of the risks related to possible hazards in food in the EU and, combined with occurrence The fact or frequency of something (e.g. a disease or deficiency in a population) happening. levels for these hazards in foods, allows estimates of consumer exposure, a fundamental step in EFSA’s risk assessment work.
- See Regulation EU 257/2010 of 25 March 2010 setting up a programme for the re-evaluation of approved food additives in accordance with Regulation EC 1333/2008 on food additives.
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