In a move to protect public health without compromising international trade, the United Nations' food standards body, Codex Alimentarius Commission, has issued new guidelines to improve food safety.Under the new guidelines, the 47-year-old commission, which is jointly run by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO), sets the maximum amount of melamine allowed in powdered infant formula to 1 mg/kg and the amount of the chemical allowed in other foods and animal feed is 2.5 mg/kg.Melamine is a chemical used in the manufacture of plastics used for dishware and kitchenware, and can coatings.In 2008, there was
Codex tackles maximum levels of vitamins & minerals.: An article from: Nutraceuticals World
a scare over melamine-tainted milk in the Philippines, following the reported deaths of at least four infants in China due to contaminated milk and milk-based products."Establishment of maximum levels will help governments differentiate between low levels of unavoidable melamine occurrence that do not cause health problems, and deliberate adulteration - thereby protecting public health without unnecessary impediments to international trade" Martijn Weijtens, chairman of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods, said in a statement.
The Codex rules on new levels, which are not legally binding, would not prohibit countries from refusing to allow the importation of products with excessive levels of melamine.Some 500 delegates from 130 countries attended the 33rd Session of Codex Alimentarius Commission, at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.According to the WHO, the new Codex measures also provide specific guidance for production, harvesting, packing, processing, storage, distribution, marketing, and consumer education to reduce food safety risks associated with vegetable products.It explained that since vegetables are grown under diverse conditions and marketed both locally and globally and move along the supply chain from the farm to the table, they can be contaminated by pathogens such as salmonella, E. coli, and hepatitis
A virus.The control of irrigation waters, cooling and storage, and correct washing of hands by consumers are among the aspects covered under the new measures.To minimize the risk of food-borne disease, the Commission also "gave specific advice on how to control bacteria in seafood throughout the food chain," the WHO said in a statement."In recent years, there has been an increase in reported outbreaks of foodborne disease caused by bacterial species called Vibrio, which are typically associated with the consumption of seafood, especially oysters that are often eaten raw," it said.The Commission also set maximum levels of 10 micrograms/kg for aflatoxins in Brazil nuts, both shelled or ready-to-eat, and 15 micrograms/kg for shelled Brazil nuts, which are intended for further processing.
