Canada: MRLs Update
| Pesticide | Commodity | MRL (ppm) |
| Florpyrauxifen-benzyl (1) | Hazelnuts | 0.02 |
| Teflubenzuron (2) | Raisins | 1.0 |
(1) Adopted on May 16, 2023. More information
(2) Adopted on May 18, 2023. More information
EU: Mineral Oil Hydrocarbons in Food and Food Contact Materials
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) has released the 2nd edition of the guidance document on sampling, analysis, and data reporting for the monitoring of mineral oil hydrocarbons in food and food contact materials (FCM). The document provides specific recommendations for sampling and analyzing mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) and mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) in food and FCM, in line with the requirements of Recommendation (EU) 2017/84 for mineral oil monitoring.
The purpose of this guide is to achieve harmonization in the sampling, reporting, integration of MOAH chromatograms, and evaluation of the limit of quantification for MOSH/MOAH content. It also recommends method performance characteristics for MOSH/MOAH analysis and provides relevant literature references.
The acceptance criteria for intermediate precision (also called within‐laboratory precision) when determining MOSH and MOAH in food commodities with different fat content are indicated in the table below. The intermediate precision should be calculated as recommended in the Eurachem guide.
Table. Performance requirements for total MOSH and total MOAH analysis: maximum analytical LOQ (max LOQ) of the method, acceptable ranges for recovery (Rrec) of mineral oil from samples, and relative standard intermediate precision (RSDip):
| Category | Associated foods (#) | Max LOQ [mg/kg] | Rrec range [%] | RSDip [%] |
| Higher fat/oil content
(4% ‐ 50% fat/oil) |
fine bakery ware; confectionery (incl. chocolate) and cocoa; fish meat, fish products (canned fish); oilseeds; pulses; sausages; tree nuts | 1.0 | 80* – 110 | 20 |
(#) In some cases, a shift to another category may be required. This has to be stated and justified for each case.
*Could be lower when applying ALOX for MOSH or EPOX for MOAH.
USA: Organic INTEGRITY Database Trade Partner Module
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program announced the enhancement of the USDA Organic INTEGRITY Database on May 17, 2023, through the introduction of the Trade Partner Module. This expanded module aims to improve access to reliable data within organic supply chains on a global scale. The database intends to strengthen the safeguarding of the integrity of organic products available in the US.