The appeal to ‘natural ingredients‘ attracts consumers like flies, studies confirm. But what does ‘ingredient natural‘? ABC according to ISO (International Standard Organization), to follow.
ISO/TS 19657, ‘natural’ food ingredients
The ‘TechnicalSpecification‘ ISO/TS 19657 offers ‘Definitions and technical criteria for food ingredients to be considered natural .’ The objective of the standard is to globally define the technical criteria to be applied in order for ingredients used in the production of food and beverages to be considered and presented as ‘natural’. Subject to the development of further detailed criteria to be applied to individual product categories.
Scope. ISO/TS 19657 is aimed at harmonizing information parameters in B2B(business to business) relationships, not also B2C(business to consumer). (1) However, its provisions can also be considered with a view to communication to the final consumer, where in particular there is a lack of cogent rules to refer to. (2)
The following topics and product categories are expressly excluded from coverage:
– food and environmental safety,
– GMOs and NPBTs, agricultural practices,
– Socio-economic aspects (e.g., fair trade),
– Characteristics of MOCAs (materials, substances and objects in contact with food),
– aromas, (3)
– bottled drinking water
ISO/TS 19657. Ingredients Natural foods, the ABC’s according to ISO
The technical criteria for assessing whether a food ingredient can be qualified as ‘natural,’ according to ISO, can be summarized in three points.
A) The raw material must consist of one or more of the following: plants, algae, fungi, animals, microorganisms, minerals or seawater. (4)
B) The processing of the above raw materials must consist of a physical and/or enzymatic and/or microbiological process. Enzymatic and microbiological treatments should not come aimed at the deliberate creation of substances that do not exist in nature.
(C) Processes other than those above are allowed provided that:
– are required by regulatory or food safety requirements,
– no physical or enzymatic or microbiological treatment techniques are available to meet the above requirements,
– components or constituents of the food ingredient are not altered.
Adjustment of pH and removal of one or more components during processes are permissible.
In the case of a compound ingredient and/or product, each of its components must meet the aforementioned technical criteria to get the green light for the attribution of ‘naturalness’.
Dario Dongo
Notes
(1) Consumer information on food products is indeed specifically regulated in different areas of the planet. The only possible path to harmonization is therefore the Codex Alimentarius, in the development of which representatives of the nearly 200 member countries of FAO and WHO are participating
(2) The term ‘natural’ represents voluntary information, as such subject to the requirements of reg. EU 1169/11, Articles 36 et seq. However, the European Commission has not yet published specific guidelines in this regard. Some insights in previous articles
https://www.foodagriculturerequirements.com/archivio-notizie/domande-e-risposte/galatine-solo-ingredienti-buoni-e-naturali-risponde-l-avvocato-dario-dongo,
https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/consum-attori/galatine-80-latte-falso
(3) Moreover, the specification under consideration provides the tools to assess the ‘naturalness’ of the non-aromatic components of the flavorings themselves
(4) Fossil fuels (Deo gratias!) should not be used as a food raw material
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
