Foodlaw-Reading
Dr David Jukes, The University of Reading, UK
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FSA Imported Foods Letter (IMPEN22015), 11 August 2022
Summary: Following on from the consultation, several amendments are being made to the proposed amendments to REUL 2019/1793.
As per our letter (IMPEN22007), we carried out a consultation [see link below] on the proposed amendments to the controls under retained Regulation 2019/1793. I am writing to notify you of the outcome of the consultation now that it has concluded.
To aid with enforcement of the controls, mixed spices under the CN code 0910 will be inserted into Annex 2, table 2. This will mean that when Annex 2 spices controlled for aflatoxins are mixed with other spices, the resultant mix will remain within the scope of the controls.
Following receipt of supporting information from the US authorities, careful consideration was given to the proposal and the checking frequency of US groundnuts will remain at 10%. However, this will be kept under consideration at the next review.
Information submitted by the Thai authorities, suggest that Indian betel leaves may be involved in triangular trade. There is the suspicion that Indian leaves are being imported to Great Britain via both Malaysia and Thailand. Ports are asked to be vigilant and consider sampling betel leaves from Malaysia as part of their routine sampling and surveillance programme. It would also help to check the route of these goods into the country and alert us to any suspicious activity. This will enable a fuller picture to be build up in time for the next review of the Regulation.
The TARIC sub-division for betel leaves from Bangladesh, India and Thailand have been removed, following the change in the CN codes by HMRC
Following the European Commission including ethylene oxide in spices to their controls, an increase in alerts has been seen. Testing data from the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) suggests that there could be a wider underlying issue and in order to collect more evidence, ports might want to consider testing spices/spice mixes from India for ethylene oxide as part of their routine surveillance programme. Imports Delivery team will be writing out to PHA/LA’s shortly concerning the 2022/23 Imported Food Surveillance Sampling.
For the news item on the consultation, see:
Note: The letter was provided on the FSA Smarter Communications Platform. To access, create an account.
