Members

The working group consists of active and corresponding members from official food control, industry, science and consulting companies. The working group normally meets twice a year. Applications for active or corresponding membership can be submitted to the relevant chairpersons.

The Additives Working Group is an expert group for food additives in accordance with Regulation (EC) No. 1333/2008 and related areas. It deals with both food law and scientific issues.

The following general tasks of the working group can be summarised:

• Exchange of information and experience on current developments and issues
• Opinion-forming on specialised topics
• Opinions on legislative proposals
• Consensus-building between the circles involved
• Internal and external communication of the results
• Contact for specialist colleagues, journalists or other circles
• Providing information through symposia or training events
• Collaborating on the development of analytical methods

Chairman

Dr Bernd Haber
Ruppertsberg
Email: bernd.haber@t-online.de

Deputy Representative

Dipl.LM.Chem. Julia Schreiner
State Research Centre for
Public Health and Veterinary Medicine Saxony
Email: julia_schreiner@gmx.net

Secretary

Silke Fallah
GNT Europa GmbH, Aachen
E-Mail: sfallah@gnt-group.com

Period of office 2026 - 2028

Analytical topics

• Additives and their analysis (purity requirements, detection in the food matrix, contaminant analysis)
• JECFA (FAO/WHO) methods; § 64 methods
• Cooperation with reference laboratories (national - European)

Food law topics

• Food law regulations (e.g. Regulation (EC) 1333/2008)
• Scientific issues (e.g. technological effectiveness)
• Purity criteria (Regulation (EU) 231/2012)
• Differentiation issues Additives / processing aids / nutrients / food ingredients (e.g. food fibres as additives or nutrients)
• Differentiation issues Food fibres as additives or nutrients)
• Exchange on developments in the authorisation of additives in the EU
• Labelling of additives in food and in the distribution of "business-to-business"
• Safety issues regarding additives (e.g. discussion of current EFSA opinions)

• Differentiation of colours / colouring foods (2024) (pdf)
• Food law status of food cultures (2023) (pdf)
• Statement on the use of plant extracts rich in technologically active ingredients (2020) (pdf)
• Application of the Food Hygiene Regulation (852/2004/EC) to the manufacture of food additives (2005) (pdf)

Literature references

• Eds. Muermann | Rexroth | Sumfleth: Handbuch Lebensmittelzusatzstoffe, Behr's Verlag, Hamburg
• P. Kuhnert: Lexikon Lebensmittelzusatzstoffe, 4th edition, 2014, Behr's Verlag, Hamburg
• R. Matissek & M. Fischer: Lebensmittelanalytik, 2nd ed. Springer Spektrum, 2021
• Michael and Irene Ash: Handbook of Food Additives, 3rd Ed., Synapse Information Resources Inc., 2008
• Jim Smith: Food Additive User's Handbook, Springer science+business media, LLC, 1996

Further Internet pages:

• Germany
  BMEL - Authorisation and use of food additives
  BfR - Food additives
  BfR - Commission for Food Additives, Flavourings and Processing Aids
  Food Association Germany - Additives
  VCI - Guideline for Good hygiene practice in food additive production
  
• EU
  European Commission - Additives
  EFSA - Food additives
  
• Codex Alimentarius
  Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA)
  Codex General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) Online Database
  JECFA - Database on Evaluations of JECFA
  JECFA - Combined Compendium of Food Additives Specifications

These statements no longer correspond to the current state of affairs and are for documentation purposes only and not for further use in current discussions.

• Statement on wheat stalk fibre ("wheat fibre") (2012) (pdf)
• Protective cultures as additives? (2012) (pdf)
• Aluminium in food additives and in substances for special nutritional purposes (2008) (pdf)

On 6 March 2025, the AG Additives
organised the symposium "Dietary fibre - much more than just fibre"
in Halle (Saale).

Conference report (pdf)

Annual report 2024

Annual report 2023

Annual report 2022

Annual report 2021

Annual report 2020

Annual report 2019

Annual report 2018

Annual report 2017

Annual report 2016

Annual report 2015

Annual report 2014

Annual report 2013

Annual report 2010

Annual report 2009