At this meeting Member States welcomed the draft sampling and analysis procedures which will now be redrafted as a separate Directive. At the UK's request this version clarifies the definition of several food categories for which limits for lead and cadmium are proposed by reference to existing Directives - including for example fresh herbs. It also identifies a number of outstanding points of discussion on which Member States are invited to submit further data. One such point is the need to establish higher limits for lead and cadmium in certain fish species.
Despite opposition from the UK, the proposed maximum limit for 3-monochloropropane-l,2-diol (3-MCPD) in acid-hydrolysed vegetable protein (acid-HVP) and soy sauce has been increased to 0.02 mg/kg. This is in response to representations from industry in the EU and the USA that the previous limit of 0.01 mg/kg was neither achievable nor measurable.
Although this version of the proposal has been produced under the banner of the Enterprise Directorate-General, the Commission team responsible for this proposal transferred to the Health and Consumer Protection Directorate-General (SANCO) as of 1 March.
The Commission plans to hold a further meeting to discuss this proposal in mid-April and has asked Member States to submit comments by the end of March.