EFSA was asked to assess the safety of the red food colour lycopene from all food sources, considering both that contained naturally in fruit and vegetables and the use of lycopene as a food additive.
EFSA’s AFC Panel established an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for lycopene of 0.5 mg per kilogram of body weight per day from all sources.
It however pointed out that high consumers of foods containing lycopene in certain groups of the population, such as pre-school and school children, may exceed the ADI.
Non-alcoholic flavoured drinks are the largest potential source of lycopene.
This opinion will also help inform ongoing evaluations by EFSA’s NDA Panel, expected to be adopted in Spring 2008, concerning the use of lycopene as a novel food ingredient.
The Panel concluded that the use of lycopene as a food colour adds significantly to the overall intake of lycopene.
Non-alcoholic flavoured drinks are the largest potential source of lycopene in all population groups, contributing up to 66% of all lycopene intake in male adults and more than 90% in pre-school children.
Lycopene is a member of the carotenoid family and occurs naturally in tomatoes (including tomato products, such as ketchups and tomato purees), vegetables and other fruits such as watermelon, pink grapefruit, and papaya.
Lycopene is also authorised for use as a food colour (E 160d) and can be added to food and drink products, such as non-alcoholic flavoured drinks, fruit preserves, confectionary, sauces, jams and jellies.
In addition, under the Novel Foods Regulation, EFSA’s NDA Panel is presently carrying out an evaluation of new proposed food uses of lycopene.
Two opinions on lycopene oleoresin from tomatoes and synthetic lycopene as novel foods are likely to be adopted by the NDA Panel in Spring 2008.
(7 August 2008) Organic Alliance, Inc says it has agreed to implement the GS1 System to track its produce in order to improve traceability and consumer safety. GS1 is a global organization with an...
(1 August 2008) The cold supply chain is a multi-billion dollar business with more companies in Asia now positioning themselves to be part of the industry. The growth of retail sector throughout ...
(1 August 2008) The Food Standards Agency (FSA) says dried irradiated yeast that has been imported into the UK from China is in breach of regulations. The agency says the yeast has been mixed with...
(1 August 2008) TNT Express has launched a range of freight services for time sensitive heavy shipments. Available in Southeast Asia since June 2008, a selection of three services – Express Freig...
(21 July 2008) Following a public consultation, European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) Scientific Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in Contact with Food (AFC) h...
(8 July 2008) TNT Express has received the ‘Leading HR Practices in Workplace Safety & Health Award’ as well as a Special Mention in the ‘Corporate Social Responsibility Award’ category in The S...
(2 June 2008) Waters Corporation has unveiled several new mass spectrometry innovations at the 56th American Society for Mass Spectrometry Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics, incl...
(1 June 2008) Food safety management is based on a simple logic: due diligence. It simply means that the food provider has done all that is possible to analyze the food safety risks and taken th...
Chains such as Safeway, Whole Foods Markets and Wal-Mart, are pushing solar panel installation projects to gain a 30% tax credit. Kathy Loftus from Whole Foods Market, commented: "We're hoping that our purchases along with some other retailers will help bring the technology costs."
After X5 announced that all new hypermarkets will be opened under the Karusel brand, Russia's largest food retailer, gained 3.2% in London trading. The retailer aims to add as much as 160,000 sq m of space this year as economic growth in Russia enables more people to buy higher-priced foods and shop in stores rather than at open markets.
Wal-Mart has announced plans to invest around USD 1 billion in Brazil and open 80 to 90 new stores, in all its formats, in 2009. It will be the largest investment the retailer has made in Brazil since it opened its first operation in Sao Paulo in 1995.
Although sales are up by 17% for Fresh & Wild Ltd, the UK unit of Whole Foods Market, the company has reported ₤7 million loss for the year to September 30, 2007. Some analysts feel that there is too much working against Whole Foods for it to really get off the ground.
Carrefour has been keeping its entry into Iran low-key, as both the retailer and Tehran's government suspect that the foreign presence may cause some excitement. It is not clear yet how feasible it will be for Carrefour to maintain supply in the face of financial restrictions on trade with Iran as a result of US sanctions.
The sale of 107 Somerfield stores, purchased last month by the Co-operative Group, is being handled by Credit Suisse which has requested that potential bidders offer up proposals before 22 August.
