Türkiye Amends Food Additives Specifications to Align with EU Regulation (EU) No. 231/2012

Türkiye has introduced amendments to the Turkish Food Codex Regulation on Specifications for Food Additives, originally notified under G/SPS/N/TUR/76 on 7 October 2016. The latest revisions aim to harmonise national legislation with European Unionan Commission Regulation (EU) No. 231/2012, which establishes specifications for food additives listed in Annexes II and III of Regulation (EC) No. 1333/2008.

The amended regulation updates the specifications, definitions, and purity criteria for a range of authorised food additives. Notably, new specifications have been established for:

Buffered vinegar (E 267)

Trimagnesium dicitrate (E 345(i)), as newly authorised food additives

Steviol glycosides (E 960b)

Revisions have also been introduced to the purity criteria—including limits for loss on drying, arsenic, lead, and mercury—for:

Nitrites (E 249–250)

Nitrates (E 251–252)

In addition, stearyl tartrate (E 483) has been removed from the regulation, reflecting its deletion from the list of authorised food additives.

Further amendments affect the definitions and purity criteria of:

Propyl gallate (E 310)

Sorbic acid (E 200)

Potassium sorbate (E 202)

The regulation also revises the definitions, identification requirements, and purity specifications of several cellulose-based food additives, including:

Cellulose (E 460)

Methyl cellulose (E 461)

Ethyl cellulose (E 462)

Hydroxypropyl cellulose (E 463)

Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (E 464)

Ethyl methyl cellulose (E 465)

Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose / cellulose gum (E 466)

Cross-linked sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and cross-linked cellulose gum (E 468)

Enzymatically hydrolysed carboxymethyl cellulose and enzymatically hydrolysed cellulose gum (E 469)

These amendments strengthen regulatory consistency with EU food additive legislation and ensure updated safety and quality requirements for food additives placed on the Turkish market.