A Codex committee has recommended new maximum levels (MLs) for cadmium in chocolate.
The levels set for cadmium are 0.3 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) for chocolate containing up to 30 percent cocoa total solids and 0.7mg/kg for the 30 percent to 50 percent category.
The European Union, Norway and Egypt did not agree with the 0.3 mg/kg levels put forward and these three nations plus Switzerland didn’t back the 0.7mg/kg levels.
Instead of 0.3 mg/kg the three countries wanted a level of 0.1 mg/kg. In the other category, a lower ML of 0.3 mg/kg was proposed as protecting consumers, especially children. Supporters of the set levels said they would protect public health while promoting trade and discussions had been ongoing since 2013.
Stricter EU rules
The EU’s maximum permitted cadmium levels are 0.1 mg/kg for milk chocolate with less than 30 percent cocoa total solids and 0.3 mg/kg for chocolate in the 30 percent to 50 percent bracket. Colombia; Côte d’Ivoire; Ecuador; Madagascar and Peru first raised concerns about these limits in 2017 at a World Trade Organization meeting.
A Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) exposure assessment of cadmium in all food sources found the heavy metal in cocoa is not a significant source of exposure in the human diet globally. However, for children from mainly European countries that eat only cocoa sources from South America, these products do pose a more significant source of exposure to cadmium.
The decision on maximum levels for cocoa powder containing 100 percent total cocoa solids was delayed for a year to get more data. Work is continuing on a code of practice for the prevention and reduction of cadmium in cocoa beans.
The Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food proposals will be discussed at the Codex Alimentarius Commission meeting in November this year.
“The Codex adoption of maximum levels for cadmium in chocolate products is a positive step forward for common global standards, based on expert scientific risk assessment and global data from producing regions. A single standard means simplicity for global compliance, enabling international trade. Moreover, basing standards on global data helps avoid unnecessary food waste,” said Martin Slayne, from the International Confectionery Association, a Codex observer.
(출처 : FSN)
