Food Additives

China CFSA Consults On Six New Food Additive Varieties Including Lacto-N-tetraose And Thaumatin

China’s food safety regulator CFSA has launched a consultation, open until 20 June 2026, on six new or modified food additive varieties spanning Lacto-N-tetraose, neotame, casein phosphopeptides, thaumatin (fermentation) and galacto-oligosaccharides across infant formula, snacks, bakery and sports nutrition applications. If adopted, the measures would broaden permitted uses and limits under China’s GB food additive and nutrition fortification standards while embedding stricter strain- and process-based specifications, so food and ingredient manufacturers should assess formulation impacts and prepare targeted feedback.

23 May 2026, 09:11cfsa.net.cnChina

EEA Joint Committee Incorporates Regulation (EU) 2025/2084 on Quillaia Extract (E 999) Into EEA Agreement

Decision No 17/2026 of the EEA Joint Committee, published in May 2026, incorporates Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/2084 on quillaia extract (E 999) into Annex II of the EEA Agreement, entering into force on 7 February 2026 while explicitly excluding Liechtenstein. This extends the updated EU authorisation and specification requirements for quillaia extract to Iceland and Norway, so food and ingredient suppliers must align formulations and quality controls with the revised conditions across these EEA markets.

23 May 2026, 09:10eur-lex.europa.euIcelandNorway

Delaware Senate Committee Reports Out HB 337 on Folic Acid Fortification of Corn Masa Flour

Delaware’s HB 337, which would mandate folic acid fortification of corn masa flour and wet masa products, has advanced after being reported out of the Senate Health & Social Services Committee on 20 May 2026, following earlier House passage. If enacted in its current form, manufacturers and retailers supplying these products into Delaware will need to meet specific folic acid fortification and labelling requirements by 1 January 2027, so food and ingredient businesses should monitor final votes and prepare for potential reformulation and compliance.

23 May 2026, 08:54legis.delaware.govUnited States

EEA Joint Committee Decision 17/2026 Incorporates Quillaia Extract Additive Regulation Into EEA Agreement

From 7 February 2026, the EEA Joint Committee incorporates Commission Regulation 2025/2084 on the quillaia extract (E 999) food additive into the EEA Agreement, extending its new uses and tightened specifications to EEA states other than Liechtenstein. Food and beverage and additive manufacturers in Iceland and Norway must align formulations and quality controls with saponin-based limits and stricter heavy-metal and microbiological criteria ahead of the updated E 999 specifications taking effect in May 2026.

23 May 2026, 08:48eur-lex.europa.euEuropean Economic Area

EEA Joint Committee Decision 16/2026 Incorporates EU Food Additive Regulations 2025/2058 and 2025/2060

Decision 16/2026 of the EEA Joint Committee incorporates EU Food Additives Regulation changes 2025/2058 and 2025/2060 into Annex II to the EEA Agreement, extending updated rules for specialised foods and the use of sorbic acid (E 200) and potassium sorbate (E 202) in non-heat-treated plant-based mousses across the EEA, excluding Liechtenstein, with effect from 7 February 2026. Food and beverage businesses supplying the EEA EFTA market, particularly in Iceland and Norway, should ensure that foods for particular nutritional uses and plant-based mousses containing these preservatives comply with the revised conditions under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 as incorporated into the EEA Agreement.

23 May 2026, 08:48eur-lex.europa.euEuropean Economic AreaIcelandNorway

EU Publishes Approved Amendment Banning Nitrate Additives in 'Culatello di Zibello' PDO Specification

In May 2026 the EU approved and published a standard amendment to the 'Culatello di Zibello' PDO specification that bans sodium and potassium nitrate additives and lowers the minimum salt content in the finished product. This targeted change, while limited to a single Italian cured-meat PDO, points to a broader direction of travel toward lower nitrate and sodium formulations within high-end traditional meat products under the EU geographical indications regime.

20 May 2026, 17:52eur-lex.europa.euEuropean Union

Norway Consults on Amendments to Annexes 1 and 3 of Regulation on Addition of Vitamins, Minerals and Certain Other Substances to Foods

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority is consulting on amendments to Annexes 1 and 3 of the national regulation on the addition of vitamins, minerals and certain other substances to foods, increasing some positive-list limits and deleting the beta-alanine entry, with comments due by 7 August 2026. Food and beverage manufacturers, particularly producers of lozenges, breath-freshening micro-pastilles, energy drinks and electrolyte drinks, should assess how the higher permitted levels for vitamin C, zinc, glucuronolactone and inositol and the removal of beta-alanine could affect product formulations, labelling and future market access in Norway.

20 May 2026, 07:09hoering.mattilsynet.noNorway

EFSA Concludes No Safety Concerns for Amidase Food Enzyme From GM Escherichia coli SP‑a to Reduce Acrylamide in Coffee

EFSA has issued a scientific opinion concluding that an amidase food enzyme produced by genetically modified Escherichia coli strain SP-a and used to reduce acrylamide in coffee and coffee substitutes does not raise safety concerns for consumers under its intended conditions of use. This assessment under the EU food enzyme framework supports future authorisation decisions and signals continuing regulatory attention on enzyme-based mitigation of process contaminants like acrylamide in food supply chains.

20 May 2026, 06:57efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.comEuropean Union

Greece EFET Orders Recalls of Paximadia Rusks and Apple–Cinnamon Strudels Over Allergen Labelling and Coumarin Limits

In May 2026, Greece’s food safety authority EFET ordered the recall of Kanelas Traditional Paximadia rusks and Strudito apple–cinnamon strudels after official controls found wheat allergen labelling failures and coumarin levels above legal limits. These enforcement actions highlight tighter scrutiny of allergen declarations and flavouring additives in bakery products, signalling that food manufacturers and importers must rigorously check labelling and formulation compliance for the Greek market.

19 May 2026, 21:10efet.grGreece

US FDA GRAS Decisions for Q1 2026

FDA’s GRAS Notice Inventory shows a wave of new activity in Q1 2026, with external analysis identifying 22 substances whose GRAS status changed and 14 ingredients receiving “FDA has no questions” letters, mainly in microbiome, HMO, enzyme and sugar‑reduction categories. This cluster of approvals broadens the toolbox for food and ingredient manufacturers targeting functional nutrition and sugar reduction in the US market, and highlights growing competition from Chinese and other international suppliers using the GRAS pathway to secure market access.

19 May 2026, 08:16fda.govUnited States

Alaska House Advances SB 187 on Food Dye Ban in Public School Meals to Third Reading

Alaska’s SB 187, which would ban seven FDA-certified synthetic food dyes from public school breakfasts and lunches, has passed the Senate and been advanced by the House to third reading as of mid-May 2026. If enacted, school districts, food service providers and affected brand owners will need to remove these dyes from products served in Alaska schools ahead of a 1 January 2028 effective date, underscoring growing US scrutiny of artificial colour additives in children’s diets.

18 May 2026, 13:25akleg.govUnited States

US House Health Subcommittee Hears EWG Testimony on 'Healthier America' Food Safety Bills

In April 2026, the US House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee heard Environmental Working Group testimony supporting a broad package of bills to tighten FDA oversight of food chemicals, labelling, and baby food safety. If enacted, these measures would significantly reshape US food chemical governance, accelerate phaseout of high‑risk substances such as PFAS and heavy metals from the food supply, and raise disclosure and testing expectations for food and consumer brands.

18 May 2026, 13:01docs.house.govUnited States

New Jersey Legislature Proposes Fortifying Corn Masa Act For Folic Acid In Corn Masa Products

In May 2026 New Jersey lawmakers introduced the Fortifying Corn Masa Act to mandate folic acid fortification and specific labelling for corn masa flour, while allowing fortification of wet corn masa products. If adopted, this will create new formulation and labelling obligations for manufacturers and distributors of corn masa products serving New Jersey, with a one-year compliance window after enactment.

15 May 2026, 15:40njleg.state.nj.usUnited States

EFSA Receives Application for Ribose Kinase Food Enzyme for NMN Production

On 13 May 2026, EFSA registered an intake question (EFSA-Q-2026-00261) for authorisation of a new ribose kinase food enzyme used to produce NMN under the EU Food Enzymes Regulation. This signals early-stage EU scrutiny of NMN production processes, which enzyme and ingredient suppliers to food and supplement markets should monitor as the suitability check and subsequent risk assessment progress.

15 May 2026, 09:01open.efsa.europa.euEuropean Union

EFSA Opens Food Enzyme Intake for 5-Phosphoribosyl-1-Pyrophosphate Synthetase Used in NMN Production

EFSA has opened an intake question for a new food enzyme, 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate synthetase used in NMN production, under the EU Food Enzymes Regulation, with the dossier currently under suitability check and no opinion yet issued. This signals that NMN-related manufacturing processes are entering formal EU safety review, so enzyme suppliers and NMN ingredient or supplement manufacturers should monitor the forthcoming EFSA assessment and any authorisation conditions before scaling use.

15 May 2026, 09:01open.efsa.europa.euEuropean Union

EU EFSA Registers Food Enzyme Application for Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase Used in NMN Production

EFSA has registered a new food enzyme application (EFSA‑Q‑2026‑00263) for nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase used to produce nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), which is currently under suitability check under the EU Food Enzymes Regulation. This early-stage intake signals potential future conditions for NMN production processes, so ingredient suppliers and food manufacturers using or planning NMN should monitor how the assessment progresses and whether it triggers wider scrutiny of NMN-related products.

15 May 2026, 09:01open.efsa.europa.euEuropean Union

US FDA Requests Information on Azodicarbonamide (ADA) in Food and Food-Contact Uses

FDA has opened an information-gathering process on the uses, exposure and safety of azodicarbonamide (ADA) in US food and food-contact materials, with stakeholder comments and data due by 13 July 2026. Food, packaging and chemical suppliers relying on ADA should assess their portfolios, consider submitting robust use and safety evidence, and prepare for potential future changes to permitted ADA uses or limits in the US market.

14 May 2026, 18:51federalregister.govUnited States

US FDA Requests Information on Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT) in Food and Food Contact Uses

US FDA has issued a Federal Register request for information on the current uses, exposure and safety data for the antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) in human food and food-contact materials, with comments due by 13 July 2026. The findings will feed into FDA’s post-market reassessment of BHT and could lead to changes in permitted uses or limits, so food, packaging and ingredient suppliers should map where BHT appears in their portfolios and consider submitting robust data to protect or adjust those uses.

13 May 2026, 19:19govinfo.govUnited States

Ukraine: Order No. 203 Tightens Dietary Supplement Composition and Health-Claim Rules (In Force 17 April 2026)

In April 2026 Ukraine’s Ministry of Health brought into force Order No. 203, tightening the compositional, labelling and health-claim rules for dietary supplements and for the addition of vitamins, minerals and certain other substances to foods. Manufacturers and importers of supplements and fortified foods now face clear upper limits for key nutrients, new bans and restrictions on certain ingredients and stricter marketing constraints, requiring prompt reviews of product formulas, labelling and claims for all products placed on the Ukrainian market.

13 May 2026, 09:20zakon.rada.gov.uaUkraine

EU EFSA Consults On Animal Rennet (Chymosin And Pepsin A) From Bos Taurus As New Food Enzyme

EFSA is conducting an ongoing risk assessment, including public consultation, on an application to authorise animal rennet containing chymosin and pepsin A from Bos taurus as a new food enzyme in the EU. If approved, this enzyme could broaden authorised processing options for dairy manufacturers under the EU food enzymes regime, so operators should track the EFSA opinion and subsequent authorisation decision within the current 2026 deadline window.

12 May 2026, 12:49open.efsa.europa.euEuropean Union