2005, Volume IX, Issue 2News from International AgenciesThe latest progress report on the joint International Coffee Organization/FAO project Enhancement of Coffee Quality through Mold Prevention was presented at the 93rd Session of the International Coffee Council in London,UK,May 18–20, 2005. The project was undertaken in 2001 to promote GAP/GMP practices as a better strategy for controlling ochratoxin A contamination than legal limits.Despite the EC’s recent establishment of maximum limits of 5 μg/kg in roasted coffee and 10 μg/kg in soluble coffee, the ICO/FAO project continues to stress the importance of an HAACP-based approach to food safety. In reviewing the accomplishments of 2004, the report noted the results of preliminary drying studies in Brazil, Colombia,Cote d’Ivoire, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, and Uganda. While citing an overall improvement in technical progress, the report remarked on the difficulty involved in coordinating a multicountry effort, and recommended that such complex projects be avoided in the future.The final results of the project will be presented in September of 2005 at the Second World Coffee Conference in Salvador,Brazil.The full status report can be accessed at the following website: http://www.ico.org |