General Standard for Contaminants and

Codex Alimentarius Commission (2003). Schedule 1 of the Proposed Draft Codex General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food. Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme. Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants, Thirty-fifth Session, Arusha, Tanzania. 

The Codex General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food (GSCTF) was accepted in 1997 by the CAC, the superior body of the Codex system, in the form of a Preamble with five Annexes.3 The GSCTF, however, does not yet contain figures pertaining to the maximum limits (MLs) for contaminants and... 

A review of the international legislation concerning food was recently presented in International Standards for Food Safety 24 This review contains a chapter on the Codex Alimentarius General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food where more information about the development and the content of the GSCTF can be found.25 There are also other chapters of significance for readers who wish to seek further information on specific subjects concerning international food legislation. 

The function of the Codex Alimentarius (Food Code) in its current incarnation is to establish food health standards that provide a harmonized reference for international trade in foodstuffs. Legislation developed by the European Union and others is assisted in the case of toxic elements such as lead through the Codex General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Foods (GSCTF). The Code s legal importance is significant, inasmuch as it has 171 member countries, including all states of the European Union and, since 2003, the European Community. 

Within the Codex system, the contaminants considered in this section are mainly dealt with by the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC), which is hosted by the Netherlands. Many of the Member States of the European Union are very active in CCFAC. For example, Denmark and the Netherlands have been instrumental in developing the Codex General Standard on Contaminants and Toxins and draft limits for lead in various foods. Sweden has developed a proposal for a limit for ochratoxin A in cereals and cereal products and France has proposed a maximum level for patulin in apple juice. 

State Standard of the People s Republic of China [GB 7718-94] General Standard for the I abel-hng of Foods. Promulgated on February, 4th, 1994, implemented since February, 1th, 1995 WHO Technical Report Series 859 - Evaluation of Certain Food Additives and Contaminants - 44. Report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Commitee on Food Additives (World Health Organisation, Geneva, 1995) ISBN 92-4-120859-7, page 2-3... 

A third technique (ASTM D-4951) is used to determine barium, boron, calcium, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, and zinc in unused lubricating oils and additive packages. Elements can generally be determined at concentrations of 0.01-1.0% w/w. The sample is diluted in mixed xylenes or other solvents containing an internal standard. The ICP method (ASTM D-708, ASTM D-5185) is also available. Sensitivity and useable range varies from one element to another, but the method is generally applicable from 1 to 100 ppm for contaminants and up to 1000-9000 ppm for additive elements ... 

A major challenge for growers of some fresh produce crops such as leafy salads or soft fruit is that they may be consumed fresh without being cooked. Arty microbial contamination on the crop at harvest may be eaten by a consumer and there have been cases of food-borne illness linked to contaminated fresh produce crops arotmd the world. The only way to prevent this happening is to preverrt the corrtamination of the crop. The main risks to the crop come from the use of manttres as soil conditioners, contamination by livestock or wild animal manure, contaminated water sources, and eqnipment and worker hygiene. Growers are required by many customers to follow strict standards of prodnction to reduce the risks of corrtamination. The most widely followed scheme in the UK is the Red Tractor Fresh Produce Scheme which has general standards for all crops and specific crop protocols. 

Selection of pollution control methods is generally based on the need to control ambient air quaUty in order to achieve compliance with standards for critetia pollutants, or, in the case of nonregulated contaminants, to protect human health and vegetation. There are three elements to a pollution problem a source, a receptor affected by the pollutants, and the transport of pollutants from source to receptor. Modification or elimination of any one of these elements can change the nature of a pollution problem. For instance, tall stacks which disperse effluent modify the transport of pollutants and can thus reduce nearby SO2 deposition from sulfur-containing fossil fuel combustion. Although better dispersion aloft can solve a local problem, if done from numerous sources it can unfortunately cause a regional one, such as the acid rain now evident in the northeastern United States and Canada (see Atmospheric models). References 3—15 discuss atmospheric dilution as a control measure. The better approach, however, is to control emissions at the source. 

The EU Directives 94/35/EC, 94/36/EC and 95/2/EC on sweeteners, colours and food additives other than colours and sweeteners, limit the amounts of certain food additives that can be used and the range of foods in which they are permitted. Similarly, the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC) has published its General Standard on Food Additives (GSFA), which lists the maximum use levels recorded world-wide. Care should be taken when using data from the EU Directive annexes or the GSFA because the figures represent the maximum permitted in each food group. In practice, use levels may need to be much lower to achieve the desired technical effect, particularly if used in combination with other additives intended for the same purpose. Furthermore, the additive is unlikely to be used in all foods in which it is permitted because other additives compete for the same function in the marketplace. 

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