17th Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF) in Panama

The 17th Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF) has been declared officially open in Panama City on 15 April. The opening ceremony paved the way for what promises to be an intensive week of discussions around a variety of current CCCF texts and future work for the Committee.

Over the next three days, CCCF17 will address the topics of industrial, environmental, and naturally occurring toxicants in some foods, including maximum levels for lead and sampling plans for methylmercury in fish. Under the topic of toxins, delegates will discuss the definition of and maximum level for total aflatoxins in ready-to-eat peanuts, sampling plans for total aflatoxins and ochratoxin A in certain spices, and the new code of practice or guidelines for the prevention and reduction of ciguatera poisoning. There will also be a review of the Code of Practice for the Reduction of Aflatoxin B1 in Raw Materials and Supplemental Feedingstuffs for Milk-Producing Animals (CXC 45-1997) and a discussion on the development of a code of practice for the prevention and reduction of cadmium contamination in foods.

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