The European Union is regulating the use of smoke flavouring primary products. As early as April 2024, EU member states agreed to a proposal by the European Commission that does not extend the approval of eight specific smoke flavourings. After a transitional period, these flavouring substances may no longer be used in the EU.

The decisions are based on scientific assessments by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). It concluded that genotoxic risks can either be confirmed or not excluded for all eight smoke flavouring products assessed. The assessments are based on an updated methodology that takes into account new data submitted by manufacturers.

In order to give producers time to adjust to the new requirements, transitional periods have been set:

• Foods that meet the previous provisions before the regulation comes into force may still be placed on the market for a while.
• For products in which traditional smoking is replaced by smoke flavourings, such as ham, fish or cheese, a transitional period of five years applies.
• For other applications where smoke flavourings are only used to enhance flavour, such as in soups, crisps and sauces, the deadline is two years.