Industry
The EU smoke flavouring phase-out is biting
Primary smoke products ran out for most food categories on 1 July 2026, with meat, fish and cheese running to 2029. Exporters to the EU should check compliance now.
Ten primary smoke products were not reauthorised in the EU, and the transition has now started to bite. For most food categories the cut-off was 1 July 2026. Meat, fish and cheese get longer — those run to 2029.
If you export food containing these products to the EU, or supply someone who does, this is a compliance review rather than a diary note. The categories with the early deadline have already passed it.
Smoke is the one with teeth; four others moved too
Rebaudioside M. On 17 September EFSA published its safety evaluation of Reb M produced by enzymatic conversion of stevia leaf glycosides. Relevant to anyone building a stevia system, because the production route is increasingly what distinguishes one Reb M from another.
Proteases. EFSA issued several protease enzyme opinions in late September. These matter more than they sound: proteolysis shapes bitterness, umami and flavour precursors, so they reach savoury systems, protein hydrolysates and reaction flavours directly.
E 962. EFSA completed its re-evaluation of aspartame-acesulfame salt on 10 September, recommending updated specifications and a review of arsenic and lead limits.
MOAH. Final adoption of EU limits for mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons is expected this autumn. Flavourings fall under a separate monitoring recommendation rather than the limits themselves — worth knowing which side of that line your materials sit on.
The one to actually watch: Omnibus X
On 30 September the EU Council agreed its position on the Omnibus X package. It would clarify that qualifying fermentation products made using genetically modified microorganisms are not automatically treated as "produced from GMOs". Trilogue negotiations come next, so this is a position, not a rule.
That distinction decides whether a fermentation-derived aroma compound carries a GMO label in the EU. Given how much new flavour production is moving to enzymatic and fermentation routes, where this lands will shape what is commercially viable there for years.
And the UK
The Food Standards Agency has said a prospective UK–EU sanitary and phytosanitary agreement could reshape market authorisations. For exporters currently treating the two as one destination, that is worth tracking as a place where they might diverge — or converge.
Reporting: EFFA · AGRINFO · flavorist.com · Eurofins
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