Celanese Corporation, a global technology and specialty materials company, announced it has initiated and will lead a Regulatory Consortium formed of Sorbate industry stakeholders and producers.
The objective of the Regulatory Consortium is to conduct a toxicological study to generate new and robust scientific data on Potassium Sorbate and Sorbic Acid regarding the safety of the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for human consumption.
As part of an ongoing review of food ingredients, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommended in July 2015 a temporary lowering of the ADI level of Sorbic Acid (E 200) and Potassium Sorbate (E 202) due to a lack of available scientific data.
Celanese has been in an ongoing and constructive dialogue both with EFSA and the European Commission’s Directorate General Health and Food Safety (DG Santé) to contribute to the review.
To ensure that scientifically robust data is gathered, Celanese will partner with Wanglong Group Co. Ltd, Nantong Acetic Acid Chemical Co. Ltd, Shandong Kunda Biotechnology Co. Ltd, Jinneng Science & Technology Co. Ltd, Daicel Corporation as Members; and Brenntag Holding GmbH, the Chile Prunes Association, the Union of European Beverages Association (UNESDA) and California Dried Plum Board as Associate Members to fund and carry out the Extended One-Generation Reproduction Toxicity Study.
The study will be carried out by an independent UK-based laboratory and will last approximately 18 months. A final report will be issued on the study to EFSA for evaluation and DG Santé will be informed after its completion.
