2026-01 EFSA Publishes Updated Guidance on Food Additive Assessment

In the European Union, all additives must be assessed and declared safe by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) before they can be authorised for use in food and drinks¹.

EFSA has released its updated Guidance on the scientific data requirements for applications for the authorisation of food additives under Regulation (EU) 1331/2008. This long‑awaited document replaces the previous version issued in 2012, which underwent editorial revisions in 2020.

The update marks the first substantive revision in over a decade and puts an end to a process where EU Specialty Food Ingredients has been heavily involved in.

Key enhancements for the assessment of new food additives or for a modification of an existing authorisation include:

• Updated dietary exposure assessment requirements, with particular attention to infants and young children.
• Additional provisions for assessing small particles and nanoparticles, reflecting EFSA’s cross‑cutting guidance published after 2012.
• Integration of EFSA’s most recent methodological guidance on genotoxicity and toxicology.
• Alignment with the latest OECD Test Guidelines.
• New considerations for environmental impacts.

For more information on EU Specialty Food Ingredients and its work with EFSA, you can contact us here.

 

1. See our Infographic on food additives safety.