TEC feed seminar (7 march 2013, Bangkok)
Feed safety in the European Union (EU)
"from farm to fork"
Dr. Wolfgang Trunk
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DG SANCO - Animal Nutrition
Health and
Consumers
Outline
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General Food Law (Reg 178/2002)
"Negative list" of substances prohibited in feed
Catalogue of feed materials
Undesirable substances in feed (Dir 2002/32)
EU's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF)
Resume
Health and
Consumers
General Food Law (Reg 178/2002)
 Establishment of "from farm to fork" principle => Scope covers Feed
 Attribution of concrete responsibilities to the Feed/Food Business operators
 Traceability: identification of the origin of feed and food to facilitate the
withdrawal of hazardous products and …
 Precautionary principle: … in those circumstances where risk managers
have identified … an unacceptable level of risk to health but the supporting
information and data may not be sufficiently complete full risk assessment
 Separation of Risk assessment from Risk management
=> Creation of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
 Establishment of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF)
Health and
Consumers
767/2009
“Negative” list Annex III with Prohibited materials
1. Faeces, urine …
4. Wood, …which has been treated with wood preservatives (biocides)
7. Packaging from the use of products from the agri-food industry, and parts
thereof.
“Negative” list revision
 packaging material
 Hemp: EFSA Opinion (FEEDAP) on the safety of hemp (Cannabis genus) for
use as animal feed
 Solanum glaucophyllum: COM mandate to EFSA for assessment of safety
of a new feed material, leaves of Solanum glaucophyllum.
Health and
Consumers
767/2009
• Updated Catalogue of feed materials with 64 processes and app.
600 listed products (Reg. 68/2013)
 fat/oil derivatives:
oilseed expeller …May contain up to max 1% used bleaching earth from
integrated crushing and refining plants or filter aids (e.g. diatomaceous earth,
amorphous silicates and silica, phyllosilicates and wood fibre).
Acid oils from chemical refining
Fatty acid distillates from physical refining
processing aids: …feed materials shall be free from chemical impurities
resulting from their manufacturing process and from processing aids,
unless a specific maximum content is fixed in the Catalogue
Health and
Consumers
2002/32
Directive 2002/32/EC on undesirable substances in animal feed:
 Undesirable substance: any substance or product, with the exception of
pathogenic agents, present in … feed which presents a potential danger to
human or animal health or the environment or do adversely affect livestock
production.
 prohibits the dilution of contaminated feed materials.
 maximum limits for heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, mercury and
cadmium as well as for dioxin, aflatoxin, certain pesticides, and botanical
impurities in certain feed materials, feed additives and feedingstuffs.
Health and
Consumers
2002/32
Maximum content in mg/kg
(ppm) feed with 12% moisture
1. Arsenic (*) (**)
Feed materials with the exception of:
— meal made from grass, from dried lucerne and from
dried clover, and dried sugar beet pulp and dried
molasses sugar beet pulp,
— palm kernel expeller
— phosphates and calcareous marine algae
— calcium carbonate
— magnesium oxide
Health and
Consumers
2
4
4
10
15
20
2002/32
Maximum content in ng WHOPCDD/ F-TEQ/kg (ppt) in feed
with 12% moisture
Dioxins [sum of polychlorinated dibenzo-para- dioxins
(PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs)
expressed in WHO toxic equivalents, using the
WHO-TEFs (toxic equivalency factors, 2005)]
— Feed materials of plant origin
0,75
— Animal fat, including milk fat and egg fat,
1,50
— Other land animal products including milk and milk
products and eggs and egg products.
0,75
— Fish oil
5,0
— Feed additives … trace elements & Premixtures
1,0
— Compound feed
0,75
with the exception of compound feed for pet animals and fish
1,75
Health and
Consumers
RASFF
Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF)
• to provide food and feed control authorities with an effective tool
to exchange information about measures taken responding to
serious risks detected in relation to food or feed. This exchange of
information helps Member States to act more rapidly and in a
coordinated manner in response to a health threat caused by food
or feed.
• Alert example:
INFORMATION NOTIFICATION: 2005.AXC
ORIGINAL NOTIFICATION
SUBJECT: CADMIUM IN MINERAL PREMIXTURE FOR FISH
FROM NORWAY
Health and
Consumers
RASFF
Subject: High levels of Cadmium in animal feed. A summary report from
Norway.
Meeting of the Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health Section Animal Nutrition – 27-28 April 2005.
I refer to the RASFF notification 2005. AWR of 6 April 2005 and further notifications, and
the preliminary report given in the meeting of Section Animal Health and Welfare 13 April.
The following information is a summary of the investigations performed and the measures
taken so far.
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Samples were taken in January 2005 as part of the surveillance program for feed.
Analysis available in the beginning of March showed levels of 11 – 17 mg/kg of
cadmium in feed from two feed mills (feed for ruminants and pigs).
New analysis of parallel samples confirmed the results.
A “crisis team” was established by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority immediately
after the high levels of cadmium were confirmed. This team has coordinated the
further actions related to possible hazard for food, animal health and environment.
The maximum acceptable levels of cadmium is 0.5 mg/kg in compound feed for pigs
and poultry and 1 mg/kg for ruminants.
Health and
Consumers
RASFF
• In 2011, 9157 notifications in RASFF related to non-compliances
with EU food legislation were reported, of which 617 concerned
serious risks.
• Most of the notifications were follow-ups (5345) rather than new
(3812) notifications. This reflects an increased effectiveness of
the system with a better targeting and a more extensive follow-up.
• Out of the 3812 new notifications: 3139 concerned food, 361
concerned feed and 312 concerned food contact materials.
http://ec.europa.eu/food/food/rapidalert/index_en.htm
Health and
Consumers
Resume
1. EU food safety system has been completely reformed since 2000
2. Establishment of the "farm to fork" principle includes in particular feed
safety, in concrete by the
 provisions on feed hygiene
 marketing rules for feed:
- 1st responsibility of the FBO for safe feed
- undesirable substances Directive
- interplay negative list - Catalogue
 integration in system for official controls
3. RASFF extremely efficient, both internally and for imports
Health and
Consumers
Questions ?
Health and
Consumers