Smokey Bacon flavour Crisps Sauces etc in current form to go

Oscar_Madison

Title updated to include sauces etc
Apparently they may be cancer causing.

I hate to think what my weekly year round BBQ ing is doing to me if a few crisps can cause cancer.

TBH- Smokey bacon crisps are my least favourite flavour - too salty and yuck- but I hope this won’t impact bacon fries as I couldn’t live without bacon fries🤪

But wonder how this will impact on your favourite BBQ sauce? And also will it impact things like smoked paprika?

https://m.sundayworld.com/lifestyle/food/smoky-bacon-crisps-set-to-be-banned-across-europe-over-apparent-cancer-risk/a1551963333.html

Cookie_Monster

wtf sorta crisps are they in the photos

dxhound2005

It's going to cause trouble in the North.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/06/04/eu-crisp-flavouring-ban-smoky-bacon-border-northern-ireland/

OscarMIlde

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058354638/smokey-bacon-crisps-in-current-form-to-go

Oh no. I love the Dunnes stores simply better Whiskey smoked bacon crisps. It's so hard to find crisps without milk as an ingredient which are also gluten free, and if you do they are often bland. These are the perfect drinking crisps.

Badly Drunk Boy

It's not just crisps that are being banned. Any foodstuff that uses smoking like "ham, fish, barbecue sauces, flame-grilled burgers and snack foods" will be affected. Manufacturers have 2 years to change the more artificial methods for the snacks, and 5 years for the methods uses for 'proper' food.

Today, the Member States have endorsed a proposal from the Commission to not renew the authorisation of 8 smoke flavourings for food. After a phase-out period, these flavourings will no longer be permitted for use in the EU.

The relevant decisions are based on scientific assessments by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) which concluded that for all eight smoke flavourings assessed, genotoxicity concerns are either confirmed or can’t be ruled out. EFSA’s opinion is based on an updated methodology, assessing new data submitted by the applicants. It concerns the specific flavourings which can be added to food, and not the food itself.

Following extensive discussions with Member States and stakeholders, the Regulation sets out different phase-out periods to give time for producers and operators to adapt to the new rules. When used to replace traditional smoking (e.g. hams, fish, cheeses) the phase-out period is 5 years. For uses where the smoke flavouring is added for extra flavour (e.g. soups, crisps, sauces), the phase-out period will be 2 years. The Regulation will be formally adopted by the Commission in the coming weeks, to enter into force later this spring.

https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/sante/items/827828/en

It hasn't even proved that all of this flavourings are harmful.

"genotoxicity concerns are either confirmed or can’t be ruled out."

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122221712#Comment_122221712

thanks - thread title updated

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122221712#Comment_122221712

That implies that in some cases it is confirmed though

Badly Drunk Boy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122221874#Comment_122221874

Yeah, but in other cases, they're just guessing or maybe assuming.

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122221909#Comment_122221909

It means in some cases it has not shown to be safe. With a lot of these artificial additives the initial assumption is that it is not safe, and you must prove that it is.

Potentially dangerous until proven safe basically. If they are later shown to be safe then great, the particular ones in question shall not be banned. But in the absence of evidence it is safer to no longer allow

Leg End Reject

That's removing a lot of choice for most people, are we not allowed make up our minds about the level of risk we're comfortable with?

Smoking has a definite proven link to cancer, cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases but that's grand apparently, it just doesn't make sense.

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122222011#Comment_122222011

If smoking was invented today, there's no way that smoking materials would be approved for human consumption. Unfortunately they were discovered before we knew better.

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122222032#Comment_122222032

That's irrelevant, why ban smokey flavours but not cigarettes?

I'm not a fan of smokey flavours and don't smoke so it won't affect me, but it doesn't make sense. Smokey flavours were obviously approved before.

magicbastarder

That's removing a lot of choice for most people, are we not allowed make up our minds about the level of risk we're comfortable with?

in many, many, many cases, you have already accepted this concept though. you're not complaining that you want wallpaper with arsenic in it, you're comfortable with things being banned in many contexts, removing your choice.

the issue here is the threshold at which the decision is made to ban something; AFAIK the case is proven in the 'natural' form of smoke flavouring, hence the suspicion about harm with distilled smoke flavouring. and that's how public health policy works, if we're not sure, ban it before it can do harm. which is the greater evil - incorrectly banning something because of a mistaken fear it's harmful, or allow it and find out it's harmful after it's done harm?

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122222044#Comment_122222044

Real smokey flavours are fine. It's the artificial flavouring that's at issue here - the cheap and nasty way to do things which previously was turned a blind eye to, but only now are regulators catching on to it.

If research comes out in 5 years time saying conclusively "artificial smoke flavourings cause cancer" people will be asking why didn't we take action sooner?

Oscar_Madison

This thread needs some homemade BBQ sauce recipes 😀

magicbastarder

interesting, from a different article i read, there was a claim made that naturally smoking food was known to be dangerous because of tar and ash, but the suggestion is that it's the process to remove them which is the problematic issue?

from an irish times article i found:

"The current process involves food producers purifying smoke and removing harmful components such as tar and ash, before the flavouring was added to food"

Badly Drunk Boy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122222059#Comment_122222059

The artificially smokey flavours are to be banned in two years. The traditional methods will be banned in five.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122222053#Comment_122222053

That still doesn't explain why cigarettes are still available. We know for definite that they kill you.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122222258#Comment_122222258

Because government won’t get their tax payday and because the illegal trade will just spread like wildfire over night. Theres an illegal trade right now which is significant enough but this would just explode if ciggs were banned

No-one would be stupid enough or even have the inclination to buy a dodgy BBQ sauce in 5 years time from the black market so it’s easy to ban whatever food stuffs the EU wants to do.

bucketybuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122222032#Comment_122222032

And smoky bacon flavour crisps were invented before we knew better, so your answer doesn't answer anything at all.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122222258#Comment_122222258

The reason that tobacco has not yet been banned is that the tobacco companies have a hell of a lot more money than people selling Smokey bacon crisps.

And also that there are strict controls (and taxes) governing tobacco consumption.

Maybe they could decide to let people eat smokey bacon crisps but only if they're 18 or older.

Badly Drunk Boy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122222278#Comment_122222278

Ah, I know that. I was just making the point that there are different rules for different things that are bad for you. And money often trumps people's health.

By the way, in a completely unrelated matter, in 2026 I'll be launching my smouldery ham crisps, which I'm hoping will go down a treat!

dxhound2005

Whatever about smoke, there is not much chance that they were ever introduced to bacon. Apparently some people just lick the flavouring off the crisps and then throw them away. It must be very addictive.

Walkers.

Potatoes, Vegetable Oils (Sunflower, Rapeseed, in varying proportions), Smoky Bacon Seasoning [Smoked Salt, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Sugar, Flavourings, Acids (Citric Acid, Malic Acid), Colour (Paprika Extract)], Antioxidants (Rosemary Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Tocopherol Rich Extract, Citric Acid).

Tayto.

Potatoes, Vegetable Oils: Rapeseed Oil, Vegetable Oil; Smoky Bacon Flavour (Dextrose, Maltodextrin, Sugar, Salt, Flavour Enhancers: Monosodium Glutamate, Disodium 5′- ribonucleotide, Flavourings (Flavour Enhancers: Monosodium Glutamate, Disodium 5′-ribonucleotide), Yeast Extract, Acids: Citric Acid, Malic Acid; Smoke Flavourings, Colour, Paprika Extract).

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122222258#Comment_122222258

No, the artificial smoke flavours used in crisps, sweets etc is to be banned within 2.

Their use in meat/fish will be banned in 5.

Traditional smoking methods are not the subject of this ban.

Hoboo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122222044#Comment_122222044

Because the tobacco lobby is far more powerful than the Smokey flavours lobby.

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122222428#Comment_122222428

Exactly, health concerns can be ignored when vested interests and money are in play.

Baba Yaga

tell me it aint so…no more bacon fries???? 😭😭

Hoboo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122223232#Comment_122223232

I know!

Look at them as bacon tumours, might ease the pain.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122223256#Comment_122223256

mmmmmm…bacon tumours

Baba Yaga

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122223256#Comment_122223256

doesnt ease the pain…in fact im munching on a packet of bacon fries as i type 😋

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122223374#Comment_122223374

any good recommendations for a shop for getting six packs cheaply?

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122223436#Comment_122223436

I've only been able to find them in multipack, 3 x bacon fries & 3 x scampi fries.

€2.50 in Dealz.

https://www.dealz.ie/86126-6pk-smiths-savoury-selection/