EU Amends Maximum Levels for Dioxins and Dioxin-Like Polychlorinated Biphenyls
Credit: Mae Mu (picoftasty) via Unsplash
The European Commission recently amended its regulations on maximum levels for dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in certain foods. Regulation (EU) 2022/2002, which amends Annexes of Regulation (EC) No. 1881/2006, will go into effect January 1, 2023.
In 2018, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) adopted a scientific opinion about the risks posed to animal and public health related to the presence of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in feed and food. For the sum of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs ingested, EFSA established a tolerable weekly intake of 2 picogram (pg) toxic equivalence (TEQ) per kilogram (kg) of body weight. Estimates of chronic human dietary exposure to dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs based on the available data have indicated a significant exceedance of the tolerable weekly intake for populations of all age groups.
In its scientific opinion, EFSA recommended the reevaluation of current World Health Organization (WHO) toxic equivalence factors (TEFs) in order to take into account new in vivo and in vitro data. WHO is currently reviewing its TEF values, which is work that is expected to be completed in 2023. To protect public health while the WHO review is underway, the European Commission finds it appropriate to establish maximum levels for dioxins and the sum of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs for foods not yet covered by EU legislation, and for which occurrence data have been recently made available in EFSA’s database.
Given that not only muscle meat from the appendages of crabs and crab-like crustaceans is consumed but also muscle meat from the abdomen of such crustaceans (in particular mitten crab), the European Commission also applied the maximum levels for muscle meat to the abdomen of such crustaceans. Furthermore, the European Commission found it appropriate to lower the existing maximum levels for dioxins and the sum of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in milk and dairy products.
Section 5, “Dioxins and PCBs,” of the Annex to Regulation (EC) No. 1881/2006 is amended as follows:
Foodstuffs |
Sum of Dioxins |
Sum of Dioxins and Dioxin-Like PCBs |
Sum of PCB28, PCB52, PCB101, PCB138, PCB153 and PCB180 |
Meat and meat products (excluding edible offal) of bovine, ovine, and caprine animals |
2.5 pg per gram (pg/g) of fat |
4.0 pg/g of fat |
40 nanograms (ng)/g of fat |
Meat and meat products (excluding edible offal) of poultry |
1.75 pg/g of fat |
3.0 pg/g of fat |
40 ng/g of fat |
Meat and meat products (excluding edible offal) of pigs |
1.0 pg/g of fat |
1.25 pg/g of fat |
40 ng/g of fat |
Meat and meat products (excluding edible offal) of horse |
5.0 pg/g of fat |
10.0 pg/g of fat |
Not applicable (N/A) |
Meat and meat products (excluding edible offal) of rabbit |
1.0 pg/g of fat |
1.5 pg/g of fat |
N/A |
Meat and meat products (excluding edible offal) of wild boar (sus scrofa) |
5.0 pg/g of fat |
10.0 pg/g of fat |
N/A |
Meat and meat products (excluding edible offal) of wild game birds |
2.0 pg/g of fat |
4.0 pg/g of fat |
N/A |
Meat and meat products (excluding edible offal) of venison |
3.0 pg/g of fat |
7.5 pg/g of fat |
N/A |
Liver of bovine and caprine animals, poultry, pigs, and horses, and derived products thereof |
0.30 pg/g of wet weight |
0.50 pg/g wet weight |
3.0 ng/g wet weight |
Liver of ovine animals and derived products thereof |
1.25 pg/g of wet weight |
2.00 pg/g wet weight |
3.0 ng/g wet weight |
Liver of wild game birds |
2.5 pg/g of wet weight |
5.0 pg/g wet weight |
N/A |
Raw milk and dairy products, including butter fat |
2.0 pg/g of fat |
4.0 pg/g of fat |
40 ng/g of fat |
Poultry eggs and egg products except goose eggs |
2.5 pg/g of fat |
5.0 pg/g of fat |
40 ng/g of fat |
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