FSA Update, 19 January 2007
This update contains information on on-going and forthcoming issues relating to agricultural, industrial and environmental contaminants in food. Topics covered include:
Chemical Contaminants Interested Parties Letter
This interested parties letter contains information on on-going and forthcoming issues relating to industrial contaminants in food. This letter aims to INFORM YOU of current contaminant issues and SEEKS YOUR VIEWS on these matters.
Contents
Draft Commission Recommendation on the monitoring of acrylamide levels in food (SANCO/02606/2006 rev.3)
The final draft of the Commission Recommendation was presented at the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health meeting on 14 December. Following a short discussion focussing on the submission of data to EFSA, the committee voted in favour of the Recommendation.
The Recommendation sets out a three-year monitoring programme that will commence this year. The monitoring programme aims to gain a clear picture of the levels of acrylamide in those foodstuffs that are known to contain high levels of acrylamide levels and/or contribute significantly to dietary intake to assess the impact of the CIAA Toolbox. Data will be collected by all Member States and submitted to the Commission each year. The data will be reviewed regularly, with the view that monitoring programme can be modified if required.
The Commission Recommendation will be published in the Official Journal shortly
Draft Commission Recommendation on the monitoring of the presence of furan in foodstuffs (SANCO/ 02605/2006 rev. 2)
The final draft of the Commission Recommendation was presented at the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health meeting on 14 December.
The furan monitoring programme aims to collect data on levels of furan in foodstuffs in order that EFSA can produce a detailed risk assessment for furan. At the Standing Committee meeting, the Commission stressed that collection of data should not be restricted to 2007/8, but should go beyond the time range stated in the Recommendation. Data will be collected on commercial foodstuffs, analysed as sold and as prepared for consumption.
The Committee endorsed the Recommendation, which will now be published in the Official Journal.
UK Survey of process contaminants
This survey will address the Commission Recommendations for acrylamide and furan. Levels of ethyl carbamate and 3-MCPD will also be monitored. Two successful proposals for the sampling and analysis aspects of this project have been approved and the Agency hopes to begin the survey within the next few weeks. For further details of the survey, please refer to the August edition of our Interested Parties Letters.
EFSA call for furan data
EFSA have issued a call for furan data to coincide with the new Commission Recommendation for the monitoring of furan. EFSA, with the assistance of the Commission, Member States and the Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries of the EU (CIAA), have developed a database to collate levels of furan in foods. The full call for data can be viewed at: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/science/data_collection/furan.html
EFSA have asked Member States to collect all the data from their territories and to submit these collectively to EFSA.