FSA News Item, 23 May 2008
The Agency has written a further letter to companies about sampling dried fig imports or dried fig-based products from Turkey for aflatoxins.
On 31 March 2008, the Agency notified its stakeholders of an increase of aflatoxin contamination in derived products of Turkish dried fruit, that is, fig paste, and recommended that food business operators carry out aflatoxin sampling for such commodities in accordance with Commission Regulation (EC) 401/2006.
This new advice provides clarification on suitable sampling procedures for aflatoxin contamination.
What are aflatoxins?
Aflatoxins are a type of toxin found naturally in some foods. They are produced by certain moulds that grow on foods in tropical and sub-tropical countries. There maybe an increased risk of cancer in people whose diets include high levels of aflatoxins. For this reason, in the UK and the rest of the EU, there are legal limits for aflatoxins in foods, to make sure that people take in as little of them as possible.
A copy of the letter is available on this site. See: Aflatoxin letter. For previous news item, see: