RE is used as an antioxidant and preservative particularly for lean meat and has generated significant sales growth in the past few years as demand has grown for natural additives.
However, EU directive 2010/67/EU and 2010/69/EU slashed RE Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) levels in food applications and minimised the list of its allowed food applications in the absence of complete studies approved by the European Commission (EC).
As a result, sales in the natural extracts market look set to be impaired. The directives covered all food additives other than colours and sweeteners.
"ADI was not tested for RE, therefore the new directive had limited many applications below the former use levels and the activity for the new allowed dosage for lean meat is practically gone," said Ohad Cohen, chief executive of Vitiva. Levels had been cut by "factors of hundreds if not thousands".
"As ADI was not established, greatly reduced No Observed Adverse Effect Level has been used as a baseline for dosage levels in various applications, resulting in insufficient protection of various foods," he added.
Vitiva was now awaiting guidance from the EU directorate general for health and consumer affairs (DG SANCO), he said. "If proven to be needed and at the request of EU responsible regulatory bodies, Vitiva is ready to invest a considerable amount of money into ADI research to position RE properly as a natural, safe and highly functional food ingredient.
"Such an outcome would enable food manufacturers and consumers to fully benefit from this newly approved food additive. Vitiva welcomes all parties to join this research: other rosemary producers and food manufacturers alike."
Cohen expected DG SANCO to advise on the need for the ADI study by late September. If it did so, the project would take six to nine months to complete.
Vitiva defended the April directives in May for banning the labelling of deodourised rosemary extracts as natural flavourings, which some firms were doing.
Such products, if endorsed by the European Food Safety Authority, should be labelled as antioxidants under the April directives. Failure to do so would damage the reputation of legitimate rosemary extract firms, said Cohen.