Brussels, 12/05/2015 (Agence Europe) - Unless the European Parliament opposes it, the European Commission will soon be allowed to adapt EU legislation setting out the maximum levels of certain contaminants in foodstuffs (Regulation 1881/2006/EC).
On Monday 11 May, the Council of the EU decided not to oppose the adoption of three regulations by the Commission, which will amend the 2006 regulation. This will concern the following:
- A regulation to reduce daily exposure of consumers to lead in foodstuffs by lowering existing value limits and establishing value limits for lead in certain raw materials. These new maximum levels will be applicable from 1 January 2016. This amendment to the legislation follows a scientific opinion from the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) on 18 March 2010, which identified the neurotoxic effects of lead on the development of young children and the cardiovascular and nephrotoxic (toxic effect on the kidneys) effects on adults.
- Regulation amending and establishing new value limits for inorganic arsenic in foodstuffs. This follows a scientific opinion made by EFSA on 12 October 2009 on arsenic. EFSA experts decided that the provisional weekly dose ingested of 15 micrograms/kg bodyweight, set out by the joint FAO and WHO on food additives was no longer appropriate because more recent data demonstrated that inorganic arsenic could cause cancer (of the lungs, skin and bladder) and that the toxic effects had been observed in exposure levels less than those assessed by this committee. Scientific opinions had identified certain ethnic groups that were big rice consumers in Europe and children of less than three years old as being more exposed to this food contaminant.
- A regulation amending the value limits of aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons in Katsuobushi (dried bonito), a traditional Japanese condiment and certain smoked Baltic Sea herring.
These regulations are subject to regulatory procedure and examination. In the absence of any objection being made by the Council, the European Commission will be able to adopt them, unless the Parliament formulates its own objections. (Aminata Niang)