News: Contaminants
On 5 April 2024, the European Commission published Regulation (EU) 2024/1003 amending Regulation (EU) 2023/915 as regards maximum levels for the sum of 3-monochlorpropanediol (3-MCPD) and 3-MCPD fatty acid esters in infant formulae (IF), follow-on formulae (FoF) and food for special medical purposes intended for infants (iFSMP) and young children and young child formulae (YCF) in the Official Journal of the European Union.
On 15 December 2023 European Commission published in the Official Journal of the European Union
- Regulation (EU) 2023/2782 laying down the methods of sampling and analysis for the control of the levels of mycotoxins in food and repealing Regulation (EC) No 401/2006 and
- Regulation (EU) 2023/2783 laying down the methods of sampling and analysis for the control of the levels of plant toxins in food and repealing Regulation (EU) 2015/705.
Both Regulations apply from 1 April 2024.
On 05 May 2023 European Commission published Regulation (EU) 2023/915 [Link zu „Contaminants_Regulation_2023-915“] on maximum levels for certain contaminants in food and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 in the Official Journal of the European Union. Regulation (EU) 2023/915 enters into force on 25 May 2023. Significant changes compared to Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 include amongst others the following:
- Restructuring of the actual text of the law (correlation table of the individual articles in Annex II)
- Significant reduction of footnotes through addition of the column “Remarks” in Annex I with the purpose of a better readability (landscape format)
- Change of numbering and restructuring the contaminants and food categories in Annex I
A maximum level of 0.1 mg/kg for ethylene oxide (sum of ethylene oxide and 2-chloroethanol) has been set with Regulation (EU) No. 2022/1396 (OJ L 211, 12.8.2022, p. 182–184) amending Regulation (EC) No. 231/2012. The maximum level will apply from 1st September 2022.
On 23 November 2021, Prof. Alfred Hagen Meyer and Dr. Uta Verbeek were invited as experts on the topic of ethylene oxide at the Quality Forum of the German Frozen Food Institute (dti).In the lecture "Ethylene oxide in food - recalls in the EU", the dti members were presented with causes, risk assessment, regulatory and solution approaches. Furthermore, the current situation and developments were discussed.
On November 5th 2020, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published an update on the risk assessment of nickel in food and drinking water. Based on newly available scientific data, EFSA revised the formerly established tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 2.8 µg nickel/kg body weight (bw)/day and derived a new TDI of 13 µg nickel/kg bw/day. Furthermore, EFSA derived a health-based guidance value for nickel sensitive humans (systemic contact dermatitis). (EFSA Journal 2020;18(11):6268)
For the first time legal maximum levels for acrylamide in certain food categories shall be implemented according to Reg. 1881/2006. The corresponding Draft Regulation SANTE/10478/2020 will be presented to the Standing Committee (Section: Novel Food and Toxicological Safety) on 23/06/2020 for vote.
Lebensmittelsicherheit und regulatorische Anforderungen im Bereich Lebensmittel.
No consumer health risk from bisphenol A exposure.
EFSA’s comprehensive re-evaluation of bisphenol A (BPA) exposure and toxicity concludes that BPA poses no health risk to consumers of any age group (including unborn children, infants and adolescents) at current exposure levels. Exposure from the diet or from a combination of sources (diet, dust, cosmetics and thermal paper) is considerably under the safe level (the “tolerable daily intake” or TDI).
