The Codex meeting covers heavy metal and Ciguatera levels

A global body that sets food standards has made progress on several issues, including lead levels, Ciguatera and tropane alkaloids.

The last Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food session took place in Panama City in April.

New maximum levels (MLs) have been agreed for lead in several spices, including dried seeds, dried rhizomes and roots, including galangal, dried bark, dried parts of flowers, dried fruits and berries, peppers and sumac. New MLs of 0.15 mg/kg for cadmium and 0.2 mg/kg for lead in quinoa were also agreed.

However, the Indian delegation said more time and research was needed to collect geographically representative data on spices, including from developing countries. The European Union has proposed lower MLs based on the As Low as Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) principle and available data.

Another text forwarded to the main Codex Alimentarius Commission meeting in Switzerland in November was the draft code of practice/guidelines for the prevention and reduction of ciguatera poisoning. The United States chaired the group that worked on this issue. Ciguatera poisoning causes an estimated 10,000 to 500,000 cases per year.

New areas of focus
Sampling plans for methylmercury in fish and for total aflatoxin and ochratoxin in certain spices have been sent to the November meeting for approval.

New work includes revisions to the Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Aflatoxin Contamination in Peanuts and the Code of Practice for the Reduction of Aflatoxin B1 in Raw Materials and Complementary Feeds for Milk-Producing Animals.

A code of practice will be developed to prevent and reduce cadmium contamination in foods. The United States will lead the work, which is expected to be completed in 2027.

There are plans to update the Weed Control Code of Practice to prevent and reduce contamination with pyrrolizidine alkaloids in food and feed. A code of practice will also be developed to prevent and reduce the presence of tropane alkaloids in food. These issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food, scheduled for June 2025.

The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) will call for data on, among other things, tropane alkaloids in food and feed at different stages of production, the total aflatoxins in various cereal products, and in ready-to-eat peanuts and for lead in spices, dried bark and dried culinary herbs to support the committee’s efforts.

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