JECFA: MLs of Aflatoxins for RTE Peanuts

The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) recently issued the Summary Report of its 83rd Meeting.The JECFA performed an impact assessment of different MLs (4, 8, 10, and 15 µg/kg) for ready-to-eat peanuts on request of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF). The conclusion reached is that “enforcing a maximum limit (ML) of 10, 8 or 4 μg/kg for ready to-eat peanuts would have little further impact on dietary exposure to AFT for the general population, compared with setting an ML of 15 μg/kg. At an ML of 4 μg/kg, the proportion of the world market of ready-to-eat peanuts rejected would be approximately double the proportion rejected at an ML of 15 μg/kg (about 20% versus 10%).”Summary Report for JECFA 83rd MeetingJECFA’s evaluation will be considered in the next session of the CCCF (April 2017) to review the Proposed Draft Maximum Level for Total Aflatoxins in Ready-To-Eat Peanuts.Background: At the 7th Session of the CCCF (April 2013), a new work proposal was presented by India in order to establish maximum levels (MLs) of total aflatoxins (AFs) in ready-to-eat (RTE) peanuts and methods of sampling and analysis. At the 8^th Session of the CCCF (April 2014) the discussion paper was presented.At the 9^th Session of the CCCF (March 2015), the Delegation of India presented the document “Proposed Draft Maximum Level for Total Aflatoxins in Ready-to-eat Peanuts and Associate Sampling Plan” and recommended considering the level of 10 μg/kg for total aflatoxins in RTE peanuts and requesting JECFA to perform an exposure assessment for health impact on proposed MLs for total aflatoxins in RTE peanuts.