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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
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| Cancer concerns over smoked food | Cancer concerns over smoked food |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) says one of the flavourings used to smoke meat, cheese or fish, may be toxic to humans. | The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) says one of the flavourings used to smoke meat, cheese or fish, may be toxic to humans. |
| The authority looked at 11 smoke flavourings commonly used in the European Union. | The authority looked at 11 smoke flavourings commonly used in the European Union. |
| It says several of the flavourings are dangerously close to levels which may cause harm to humans. | It says several of the flavourings are dangerously close to levels which may cause harm to humans. |
| The European Commission will now establish a list of smoke favouring products that are safe for use in food. | The European Commission will now establish a list of smoke favouring products that are safe for use in food. |
| The smoke flavourings are products which can be added to foods to give them a 'smoked' flavour, as an alternative to traditional smoking. | |
| The flavouring EFSA is most concerned about is called Primary Product AM 01 which is obtained from beech wood. | |
| The wood particles are burnt under controlled conditions and the hot vapours are dissolved in a solvent. | |
| The Panel says the use of the substance 'at the intended levels is a safety concern'. | |
| Klaus-Dieter Jany, the chair of EFSA's expert panel on flavourings (CEF Panel) said: "The Panel based its conclusions on the limited data which are currently available as well as conservative - or cautious - intake estimates. | |
| "The Panel expressed safety concerns for several smoke flavourings where intake levels could be relatively close to the levels which may cause negative health effects. | |
| "However, this does not necessarily mean that people consuming these products will be at risk as, in order to be on the safe side, the consumption estimates deliberately over-estimate intake levels." |