2005, Volume IX, Issue 2REGULATORY NEWSAt its 37th session in April 2005, the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC) proposed draft maximum levels of 15 μg/kg total aflatoxins in unprocessed almonds, hazelnuts, and pistachios.After extensive debate, the committee decided to postpone discussion of maximum levels for processed almonds, hazelnuts, and pistachios. The EC delegation opposed setting the same maximum levels for processed and unprocessed tree nuts, pointing out that processing significantly reduced aflatoxin contamination.An electronic working group led by the EC and Iran will prepare a discussion paper with proposed limits for processed tree nuts for consideration at the committee’s next session.A proposed draft sampling plan for these nuts will undergo further development by the U.S.-led drafting committee as new data become available. A U.S.-led electronic working group established at the CCFAC session will develop a discussion paper incorporating comprehensive data on DON occurrence in cereals and the effects of processing, decontamination, and sorting, as well as reports on sampling and analysis methods.The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) will base its exposure assessment on this new data.The effects of processing on DON levels will be a major focus of the JECFA assessment. The committee also agreed to discontinue research on mycotoxin contamination in sorghum. The committee noted that only Japan had submitted data on sorghum and that the Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction ofMycotoxins in Cereals was already applicable to sorghum. A summary of the session is available at the following website: http://www.foodlaw.rdg.ac.uk |