Extension of approvals for the use of LAE^® in Codex Alimentarius

The Codex Alimentarius means “Food Code” and is a collection of internationally recognized standards, codes of practice, guidelines, and other recommendations relating to foods, food production, and food safety defined by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. This Commission is the highest international body for food standards and is the central element of the Joint FAO / WHO Program.

The objective of Codex is to protect the health of consumers, ensure the correct behavior in the international food market and coordinate all international work on food standards. It currently has 165 member countries, which represent more than 98% of the world’s population.

Regarding additives, Codex Alimentarius establishes the categories and subcategories in which the use of an additive is approved. The use of LAE^® as a preservative has been included in the Codex Alimentarius since 2011.

Recently, in July 2019, Codex Alimentarius has introduced an extension of the use of LAE^® in meat products, eliminating any limitations at the category level (in the categories already approved).

Therefore, currently LAE^® can be applied to all fresh or heat-treated meat products that will be subsequently refrigerated to a maximum concentration of 200ppm. The complete information about theLAE^® approvals by Codex is in the following link.