The three main pillars on which food regulations of all developed countries are based are:
l Safety of food and the protection of public health;
l Information to the consumer; and
l Fair competition between manufacturers.
Food Safety and Public Health
The first issue, food safety and public health, which is usually of predominant importance for food additives, has hardly ever been a problem as far as flavoring substances are concerned. The main reasons for this exceptional position are:
l Flavoring substances are identical to or closely related to the flavorings occurring in traditional, commonly consumed food.
l They are widely consumed in very small dosages.
l The several hundred that are being used in the largest quantities have been evaluated for safety, and no major concerns have come up.
l The risk for incidental signicant overdosage is eliminated hy their overpowering flavor strength. Their sensory threshold is far below their threshold of toxicity.
