The aim of the focus action was to verify whether the composition and purity of additives used in the production of food and beverages meet the requirements of food law. Sixty-one samples from all over Austria were examined. Ten samples were objected to:

• in one sample, the maximum permissible content for the preservative sorbic acid was exceeded
• the remaining complaints concerned labeling deficiencies.

The composition and purity of 60 of the 61 samples tested complied with the legal requirements for food additives.

Food additives marketed in Austria or used in the manufacture of foodstuffs must meet certain purity and identity requirements in order to guarantee the health safety of the foodstuffs and beverages made from them and protection against deception.