New regulation on maximum levels of contaminants in food

Why was a new regulation needed?

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 set maximum levels for certain contaminants in food and has been amended many times. To improve the readability of the rules and expand the definitions, the European Commission decided to repeal it and replace it with a new regulation.

The maximum levels currently set out in Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 must be replaced by this new regulation.

What are the main changes?

The main changes are as follows:

• The definitions of "food", "food business operator", "placing on the market", "final consumer", "processing", "unprocessed products" and "processed products" are included in Article 1. For these definitions, reference is made to Regulation 178/2002 and Regulation 852/2004.
• A general decontamination ban applies to all food containing contaminants. Food containing the contaminants listed in Annex 1 may therefore not undergo deliberate chemical treatments aimed at removing these contaminants. In Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006, this ban only applied to food containing mycotoxins (Art. 3(4)).
• Transitional measures have been laid down for the placing on the market of certain food in relation to maximum limits for specific contaminants (Art. 10).
• For melamine, the Codex Alimentarius has, in addition to a maximum level for powdered infant formula, also set a maximum level for liquid infant formula. The EU has accepted this maximum level and included it in the regulation.

From when does this new regulation apply?

The regulation enters into force on 25 May 2023. Would you like more information on contaminants and the interpretation of limits? Let's meet. Our AMNorman experts are ready to help.