Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food

From the IFT Newsletter April 22, 2009:

The Third Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF) was held on March 23–27, 2009, at Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Four documents from the Committee will go forward to the Commission at Step 8 including:

·         General Standards for Contaminants and Toxins in Foods; Code of Practice (COP) for the Reduction of Acrylamide in Food;

·         COP for Reduction of Food Contamination with Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons from Smoking and Direct Drying Processes; and

·         COP for the Prevention and Reduction of Ochratoxin A Contamination in Coffee.

Other contaminants discussed were total aflatoxins in Brazil nuts, fumonisins in corn and its products, benzene in soft drinks, cyanogenic glycosides, mycotoxins in sorghum, and ethyl carbamate in alcoholic beverages. Three substances (deoxynivalenol, furan, and perchlorate) from the Priority List of Contaminants and Naturally Occurring Toxicants were proposed for evaluation by the 72nd meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives in February 2010. Proposed new work for this committee includes revision of the COP for the Prevention and Reduction of Aflatoxins in Tree Nuts and establishing maximum levels of non-intentional melamine in food and feed and fumonisins in corn and corn products.

For further details please refer to the full reports available here.

Codex Committee on Food Additives

From the IFT Newsletter April 22, 2009

The 41st Session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) was held in Shanghai, China on March 16–20, 2009. The committee was very productive with several documents moving forward for adoption by the 32nd Codex Alimentarius Commission including: food additive provisions for the General Standards for Food Additives (GSFA); amendments to the International Numbering System; and specifications for the Identity and Purity of Food Additives arising from the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) 68th meeting (i.e., 20 additives including carob bean and guar gum, phytosterols and steviol glycosides, and 105 flavorings). Several substances such as pullulan and flavorings (315 of them) were proposed for evaluation by JECFA. CCFA discontinued work on several provisions for a number of food additives such as acesulfame potassium, alitame annatto extracts, lycopenes, carotenoids, etc. (see report for full list) due to lack of technological justification for use. Category 16 (Composite Foods) of the GSFA was maintained for the time-being on the basis that products in the category may need additives. However, product examples and technological justification are needed for the category to stay on.

For further details please refer to the full reports available on the Codex website here

USDA Public Meeting to Discuss CCRVDF Agenda

The USDA will hold a public meeting to address agenda Items for the 18th Session of the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF).  The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 29, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Room 107-A, Jamie Whitten Federal Building, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. Attendees must pre-register and present photo identification at the door. To pre-register, please send your name, organization, mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address to Jasmine Matthews by e-mail touscodex@fsis.usda.gov, by phone at (202) 690-1124 or by fax at (202) 720-3157.  More information is available here.

 

Documents and agenda items related to the 18th Session of CCRVDF will be available on the Codex Alimentarius Web site at www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp. The 18th Session of the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF), to be held in Natal, Brazil, May 11-15, 2009.