Pancetta, scamorza, ready meals, canned salmon, spices, dried fruit, sauces, French fries and other snacks. Foods containing genotoxic smoking flavorings – whose authorization in the EU was revoked on July 1, 2024 – are still very common on supermarket shelves, as shown by our market survey. (1)
Genotoxic smoking flavors, EFSA opinion
The denial of a new authorization to this category of flavors derives from the scientific risk assessment published by EFSA in November 2023. The Authority highlighted that these substances are genotoxic, i.e., able to damage the genetic material of cells and promote the onset of cancer and hereditary diseases, as has been seen. (2)
The European Commission therefore had to reject the request for a ten-year renewal of the authorization for the use of smoking flavors. But it gave in to lobby requests, providing a generous extension for their use for the following:
- five years, if the chemical flavor is used as a substitute for traditional (physical) smoking in preparations and products based on meat (sausages, pancetta and other cold cuts), fish (salmon, herring, etc.) and some cheeses (smoked provola),
- two years, when smoking flavors are added only to impart a taste regardless of the food production method, as in soups, sauces or French fries, for example. (3)
Salmon with 'smoked flavor'
The smoking aromas are even used in canned salmon. We found two, under the brands Rio Mare and Carrefour.
These products are presented as with ‘smoked flavor’, as provided by the Codex Alimentarius. (4) The rule applies only to fish, while for other categories the term ‘smoked’ is always used on the front of the package.
Transparency in labeling is however lacking in many cases. The feared smoking aromas can in fact be listed among the ingredients with the simple term ‘aromas’.
Smoked scamorza with flavors
The aromas of smoking are also widely used in scamorza, in various forms of presentation (whole, sliced, sticks etc.)
We found nine, almost always in the cheaper ranges.
The ‘veg’ version – imitation of smoked scamorza – in turn contains the same aromas.
Pancetta and other meat-based products
Bacon and other products and preparations made from meat are another food category often smoked through the addition of chemical aromas. Not only in discount products but also in branded industrial ones, i.e. Fratelli Beretta, as shown in the table.
The invasion of barbecue taste with smoking flavors
The ‘barbecue flavor’ (BBQ) – nothing other than ‘smoked flavor’ – is now found on several categories of ultra-processed foods lacking any smoking tradition.
‘Barbecue flavor’ sauces, dried fruit, ready meals, chips and snacks – all with smoking aromas – in the following tables.
Potato chips and salty snacks do not escape the ‘trend’. In this group, the ingredient list of Lay’s potato chips by Pepso.Co with ‘barbecue flavor’ should be highlighted. (5) The smoking aromas (present in the ‘bacon flavor’ version) are not explicitly mentioned but seem to reside under the generic term ‘aromas’.
Even dried fruit is sprinkled with smoking aromas. We found three examples.
Some cases also emerges among ready meals.
And even among spices (where the alternative without these aromas is not lacking).
Organic, strictly free of smoking flavors
The absence of organic products from the tables above is not accidental. Organic foods can in fact use only two sources of aromas, strictly natural:
– natural aromatic preparations, that is substances obtained from foods through physical, enzymatic or microbiological processes
– natural flavoring substances, made from animal, vegetable or microbiological sources by physical, enzymatic or microbiological processes. (5)
Marta Strinati
Notes
(1) The market survey was conducted between July 15 and 17, 2024 on producers' websites, food ecommerce platforms and supermarkets
(2) Marta Strinati. Genotoxic smoking flavors, EFSA opinion. 16.11.23. Food Times.
(3) Marta Strinati. Genotoxic smoke flavorings. No protection in the EU. Food Times. 6.5.24
(4) Codex Alimentarius. International food standards by FAO and WHO. STANDARD FOR SMOKED FISH, SMOKE-FLAVOURED FISH AND SMOKE-DRIED FISH CXS 311-2013 Adopted in 2013. Amended in 2016, 2018. https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/sh-proxy/en/?lnk=1&url=https%253A%252F%252Fworkspace.fao.org%252Fsites%252Fcodex%252FStandards%252FCXS%2B311-2013%252FCXS_311e.pdf
(5) Reg. (EU) 2018/848/, art. 30, paragraph 5 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/IT/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32018R0848
(5) The ingredient list of Lay’s barbecue flavored fries: Potatoes, Vegetable oils (sunflower, corn and rapeseed in varying proportions), Barbecue flavor [aromas, sugar, smoked glucose, salt, smoked salt, potato starch, acidifier (citric acid), spices (chili), coloring (paprika extract)]
Professional journalist since January 1995, she has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and magazines (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). Author of investigative reports on food, she published the book 'Reading labels to know what we eat'.
