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EU Sets Maximum Levels for Dioxins in Food, Animal Feed

Posted on: Saturday, 4 February 2006, 09:00 CST

EU sets maximum levels for dioxins in food, animal feed

BRUSSELS, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission has set maximum levels for dioxins and dioxin-like Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in food and animal feed.

The commission, the executive body of the European Union (EU), unveiled the plan on Friday, following news last week that three member states had sealed off farms after discovering dioxins in animals.

But the commission insisted the new legislation is not related to the dioxin cases. "This isn't related to current cases in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany," commission spokesman Philip Todd said.

The new rules will be introduced in November 2006, said the commission.

The package of new legislation puts the primary responsibility on all food and feed operators, from farmers and processors to retailers and caterers, to ensure that food on the EU market meets the required safety standards.

"In setting these maximum levels, the commission is taking another step forward in protecting the EU consumer from the harmful long-term effects of dioxin and dioxin-like PCB consumption," said Markos Kyprianou, EU commissioner for food security.

"It is now up to national authorities to ensure that monitoring is properly carried out, so that citizens in all Member States can rely on the same level of protection against these contaminants."

Dioxins and PCBs are toxic chemicals that can provoke serious health effects such as cancer, hormone disruption, reduced ability to reproduce, skin toxicity and immune system disorders. They are extremely resistant to any degradation process, which means that they persist in the environment and accumulate in the food chain.

Maximum levels for dioxins in food of animal origin and all animal feed have been applicable since July 2002. However, due to lack of sufficient data and scientific information at the time, no levels were set for dioxin-like PCBs.

Since 2002, new data on dioxin-like PCBs has become available, and the legislation adopted Friday lays down mandatory limits for the combined level of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs, said the commission. The commission intends to further review the maximum levels by Dec. 31, 2008, with a view to significantly reducing them further, it said.

Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS

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