This guidance document describing the food categories in Part E of Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on Food Additives was elaborated by Commission services after consultation with the Member States' experts on food additives and the relevant stakeholders. In July 2024, the EU Commission published the 7th revised version of the guidance document on its website.

The guidance is legally not binding but descriptions of the categories can be useful for control authorities as well as food industry to classify highly processed food products within the 18 listed food categories in the context of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on Food Additives correctly.