BTSF Training course on Food Improvement Agents (course B).

The overall objectives of the course are:

To spread knowledge and best practices in relation to the EU approach for the evaluation, authorisation, monitoring and control of food additives, flavourings and enzymes. The programme includes new practical-oriented features to facilitate understanding of the legislation and its enforcement

The course addresses the following topics:

  • Legal Framework of Food Improvement Agents
  • Design of Official Controls on FIA
  • Guidance documents on Food additives
  • Guidance document on the classification of a food ingredient with colouring properties
  • New Guidance Document of EU explaining the carry over principle
  • Q/A on food flavourings
  • New publication on authorised enzymes
  • Annex on colouring food materials (currently developed by the JRC)
  • Summary of RASFF notifications on FIA and use of RASFF Database
  • Monitoring of food additives intake
  • Common methodology for the gathering of information from the Member States
  • Preparation of Official Controls Plans on FIA
  • Objectives of control plans
  • Identification and involvement of authorities in control plans, including laboratories
  • Implementation of national control plans on FIA in a uniform way
  • Elements to consider for prioritisation in FIA (risk coming from the use, likelihood of misleading, past records, reliability of own controls by operators or third party)
  • Examples of different risk ranking tools. Identification and selectionof additives and flavourings to be consider a priority
  • Description of the food chain in case of FIA, specific considerations for the identification and categorisation of food business operators to be controlled for additives, enzymes and flavourings
  • Selection of the most appropriate methods for official controls on FIAs, inspection, GMP, audits of HACCP, monitoring surveys, sampling and analysis
  • Implementation of official controls
  • Inspection procedures, sampling strategies
  • Measures to be taken in case of infringements. Follow up actions’ efficacy and effectivity of the control plan
  • Definition of Indicators, collection of data and analysis of the results
  • Communication strategies applicable to the official control of FIA
  • Diagnostic of training needs and organisation of training plans

This Training Programme has been designed for the profiles and positions described below. Please verify compliance with the selection criteria before submitting or validating applications.

  • The training course is targeted at staff of the competent authorities who are involved in the planning of control activities in the field of food improvement agents, and/or are in charge of auditing in central/regional authorities.
Session Start Date End Date City Country
5 13/05/2024 17/05/2024 Madrid Spain
6 04/11/2024 08/11/2024 St. Julian's Malta
7 17/02/2025 21/02/2025 Madrid Spain
8 14/04/2025 18/04/2025 Athens Greece