FOOD AND HEALTH ESSENTIALS

EU Commission proposes updates to contaminants regulations

The Commission of the European Union (EU) has recently proposed revisions to two of its regulations regarding contaminants in food and food products.

The first proposed regulation would amend the requirements of the EU’s regulation (EC) 396/2005 which addresses maximum residual levels (MRLs) for mercury compounds in certain products. Under the proposed regulation, MRLs would be modified to account for environmental background contamination, which has recently resulted in residue levels higher than allowable limits of determination (LOD).

The Commission’s draft regulation on MRLs for mercury compounds is available at the Commission’s website. Comments regarding the proposed regulation can also be posted here through July 19th.

In a separate action, the Commission has also proposed changes to its Regulation (EC) 852/2004, which would apply new measures to mitigate the presence of acrylamide in food and food products consistent with new benchmark levels. The draft regulation on acrylamide in food is available here. Comments on the proposed regulation can be posted here through July 7th.