Mycotoxins in food are produced by fungal contaminants and are often genotoxic carcinogens. Under the spotlight last month in Brussels were aflatoxins and ochratoxin A in foods for infants and young children, ochratoxin A in various foodstuffs, fusarium toxins and rapid alert notifications related to mycotoxins.
With reference to aflatoxins and ochratoxin A in foods for infants and young children the Standing Committee agreed that all products would be tested on a dry matter basis. Standardised methods for determining dry matter in such products will be discussed in the next 'working group' meeting while the draft regulation was adopted by a qualified majority vote. The draft Directive on sampling and analysis was agreed unanimously with minor drafting changes, reports the FSA.
Turning to ochratoxin A in various foodstuffs, the Commission concluded that there was a majority view that the draft regulation could be sent to theWTO for notification.
"At the Working Group meeting the Commission proposed that since during the roasting of coffee the batch is mixed, an aggregate sample of 10 kg should be sufficient, this is in line with the sampling rate for cereals for ochratoxin A and peanuts for aflatoxin," said the FSA.
Where high value wines are concerned, the Commission suggested that one bottle istaken to be representative of a lot.
For Fusarium toxins the Commission said it will seek to clarify further what is intended for unprocessed cereals and for first stage processing. There were mixed views regarding at which point of the food chain controls should take place although Member States agreed that imports had to beincluded. The UK suggested that a good point for controls would be at the point of grainquality tests. The Commission stated that in all cases of highly contaminated crops,provisions under Article 2 of Regulation 315/93, laying down Community procedures for contaminants in food, applied.
Cereal-based snacks were deleted from the proposal as it was generally agreed thatthese would be covered under cereal-based foodstuffs.
On the subject of Europe's Rapid Alert System and in light of an imminent Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) mission to Brazil, the Commission asked Member States to notify the FVO or the Commission of anyreturned consignments to investigate their traceability in Brazil.
Apparently, a high number of notifications were received last year, almost 600, for pistachio nuts. "A letter from the Iranian Authorities to inform Member States of precautions taken to prevent contamination was tabled," reports the FSA.
One Member State informed the meeting about national legislation, which had been introduced, requiring 100 per cent control on Argentinean peanuts following several reported incidents of high level contamination in previous years, and indicated its concern at the continuing problem.
All information and comments related to the meeting should be submitted to Karen Knowles, Novel Foods, Contaminants and Emergency Planning at the Food Standards Agency Scotland by 16 March.
Since ancient times mycotoxins, produced by moulds that have contaminated and grown on foods, have caused sickness, and in extreme cases death, in people and farm animals. But they rest a modern day problem that the food industry must tackle on a daily basis.
It has been estimated that 25 per cent of all agricultural crops worldwide are contaminated by moulds that produce mycotoxins. The toxins are mostly found in cereals, nuts, cocoa and coffee beans, but also in other foods, like wine, dried fruits and meat, particularly when the water content/activity and the temperature are poorly controlled.