Food Safety Standards in 2021
Food safety standards are extremely important. They help ensure that the foods we consume are safe and healthy with the correct nutritional value. They are set in place to ensure that there are no contaminations and that everything we eat is good for us.
On November 3, the European Commission amended its Implementing Regulation EU 2019/1793 on official controls and emergency measures to be taken when accepting the entry of certain goods from some countries into the European Union due to the risk of contamination by mycotoxins, pesticide residues, and other microbiological contamination.
The INC provided the following details about the nut and dried fruit industry in particular.
Official Changes for Nut and Dried Fruit into the EU
Peanuts/groundnuts from Brazil
There is a possible risk of contamination by pesticide residues, so to deal with this, the EU increased the level of official control by increasing the frequency of identity and physical checks to 20%
Peanuts/groundnuts from the United States
There is a risk of contamination by Aflatoxins. So the frequency of identity and physical checks has been increased to 20%.
Hazelnuts and hazelnut products from Georgia
The EU noticed a favorable trend of the degree of compliance with the relevant requirements provided for contamination by aflatoxins. Therefore, it determined that the frequency of identity and physical checks can safely be lowered to 20%.
Hazelnuts and hazelnut products from Turkey & Azerbaijan
Due to a risk of contamination by Aflatoxins, these products have been listed in Annex II to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1793.
Pistachios from the United States
Previously inspected on suspicion of contamination by Aflatoxins, the United States’ exports of pistachios were finally deleted from Annex II to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1793.
