Food and Health E-ssentials

FAO Publishes Revised Codex Standard for Food Additives

The United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has released an updated version of its General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) under the Codex Alimentarius. 

Running nearly 500 pages in length, the Codex GFSA (officially titled Codex Stan 195-1995) identifies additives deemed to be suitable for use food and food products. It sets forth the conditions under which specific food additives can be used, as well as those foods in which specific additives cannot be used. The standard was first published in 1995 and has been revised annually since 2003 in order to remain current with new food additive development.

The 2019 revision of the GFSA incorporates recommendations endorsed by the Physical Working Group (PWG) of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) at its March 2019 meeting in Jinan, People’s Republic of China. In brief, the recommendations address 155 separate provisions of the GFSA, including the use of emulsifiers and stabilisers in milk-based drinks, and the use of specific additives used in coatings of fresh fruit and vegetables to preserve their freshness.

The complete text of the revised GFSA is available here. Information about the basis for the specific changes in the latest GFSA revision can be found in the report of the CCFA meeting.