51. The 31st Session of the CCFAC agreed to invite comments in order to revise the Discussion Paper on the Use of Colours in Foods for consideration at its current meeting.[26]
52. Denmark briefly introduced the paper, emphasizing the need to prevent consumers being mislead about the identity or quality of food by the addition of colours. Attention was also drawn to the fact that not all products were packaged and, therefore, consumers did not always have access to information through product labels. Denmark noted that the addition of colours was of particular importance when consumers experienced problems related to allergenicity, intolerance or hypersensivity.
53. The representative of Consumers International supported the view that criteria for the use of colours in foods should be strengthened. The representative was also of the opinion that the precautionary principle should apply to the use of colours in foods, especially for fresh, unprocessed foodstuffs, basic foodstuffs and for infant formulas/baby-food.
54. Several delegations expressed the view that they would support the idea of developing a list of basic foodstuffs to which the addition of colours would not be endorsed by the CCFAC. These delegations were of the opinion that specific attention should be paid to colours used in unpackaged foods and foods served in restaurants as these were usually not labelled. The Codex Secretariat indicated that Codex standards did not apply to the restaurant or retail trade and that these matters were left to national governments.
55. However, the majority of delegations were of the opinion that the principles outlined in the paper applied equally to all food additives, including colours. The same criteria should apply to the establishment of maximum use levels for colours as for all other food additives. It was noted that these criteria were already established in the Preamble to the GSFA.
56. Labelling was considered an important tool for informing consumers about the presence of colours in food, especially when there were potential problems with intolerance, hypersensitivity or allergenic reactions. The JECFA Secretariat informed the Committee that JECFA evaluates data on allergenicity, intolerance and hypersensitivity related to food additives, including colours, when the information was available.
57. The Codex Secretariat also noted that the 23rd Session of the Commission had adopted a list of foods and ingredients that were known to cause hypersensitivity that should always be declared as an amendment to the Codex General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods.[27] It was indicated that future additions and/or deletions to the list would be considered by the Codex Committee on Food Labelling, taking into account advice received from JECFA.
58. In view of the above discussions, the Committee decided to discontinue the consideration of discussions concerning the use of colours in foods, with the understanding that appropriate discussions should be undertaken in the context of the GSFA and in the Codex Committee on Food Labelling.
