Kerri-Ann Roper
We love a packet of crisps in the UK, whether it’s a meal deal special, a ripped-open packet to share in a beer garden, or the third one you’ve comfort-snacked because they're so moreish.
Like many of our favourite cuisines, they’re in the beige family of colours, you can eat them with your hands, and they’re cheap.
When you venture outside these borders you might be stunned to find we tend to have a lot more flavour options than our foreign counterparts, too.
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But a word of caution to crisp connoisseurs as those flavour options could be about to get even more sparse on the continent, however, as the European Union has said it will ban smoky bacon flavours.
Horrifying as this news is, it looks as though smoky bacon is safe on these shores for now.
The decision came after research published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) found there were links between smoky flavourings and heightened health risks.
The flavourings have been linked to genotoxicity, which is the “ability of a chemical to damage the genetic material of cells”.
“Changes or mutations to the genetic information within a cell may increase the risk of developing conditions like cancer and inherited diseases,” the research added.
The EFSA has since said that it’s impossible “to define a safe level”, and so the EU has moved for a blanket ban on them to minimise the risk to public health.
As of April 2024, the EU’s member states have agreed on the ban and the wheels are in motion to phase the smoky flavourings out of European manufacturing.
The ban will extend beyond crisps, with various sauces and soups also set to lose out on their distinctive smokiness as part of the ban.
“The Member States have endorsed a proposal from the Commission to not renew the authorisation of eight smoke flavourings for food,” said an EU statement. “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 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.”
The ban came into effect in July 2024, with manufacturer’s given up to five years to become compliant.
Whether this ban will cross the Channel remains to be seen. The UK’s Food Standards Agency typically aligns with the EFSA, although as of March 2025 it’s not found its way into the UK’s political agenda.