A bulletin for the Australian Food Industry May 1998
Contents: Food hygiene standards | Hand drying and hygiene | Date marking of packed foods | Survival of salmonellae in orange juice | Irradiation of meat | Aflatoxin in peanuts | Food Regulation Review
Aflatoxin in peanuts
At its 30th session in March 1998, the Codex Alimentarius Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants was unable to reach agreement on the level of aflatoxin to be set for raw peanuts in international trade.
Aflatoxins are toxic materials which may be present in human and animal food as a result of some kinds of fungal contamination. The aflatoxins may be formed either pre- or post-harvest and the degree of contamination is dependent on a number of factors. In Australia aflatoxins are most commonly associated with peanuts grown under drought conditions which lead to pre-harvest infection of the nuts. The Australian peanut industry has sophisticated control methods to deal with this problem.
Delegates at the Codex meeting were divided between those from producing countries who wanted retention of the present 15 μg/kg maximum guideline and those from importing countries who wanted this level reduced to 10 μg/kg. Australia has for many years had the 15 μg/kg maximum level written into legislation for peanuts with the limit of 5 μg/kg set for all other foods.
Ultimately a decision was taken by the Committee to refer the tentative maximum level of 15 μg/kg and the present sampling plan to be used by authorities to the Executive Commission of Codex. The maximum 15 μg/kg aflatoxin in peanuts would become a firm recommendation to the Commission unless countries opposing this maximum level could produce new evidence supporting their case based on quantitative risk analysis.
Contact: Dr John Pitt, Sydney Laboratory, Food Science Australia, Telephone 02 9490 8333
Food Science Australia
PO Box 52, North Ryde 1670. Tel +61 2 9490 8397 Fax +61 2 9490 8499
Email enquiries@csiro.au