5 replies to this topic

[purnama]

Does the EU have standards for the size of foreign bodies in food?

[SHQuality]

I'm not aware of a specific legal limit set by the EU legislation, but the BRC Standard for Food manufacturers says that Industry Best Practices should apply with regard to the product, the foreign material, the placement and the sensitivity of the equipment. 

 

That is still vague, of course, but I interpret that to mean that you need to aim to detect what is reasonably feasible to detect in the product you produce with current technology. For metal detection this is typically around 2-3 mm or less. For X-ray detection of other materials, this can sometimes run up to 5-6 millimeter. Note: that the density of your product, any packaging, and the specific circumstances surrounding the detection all affect the exact values.

 

Whatever you do, foreign material should always be detected at sizes smaller than 7 mm. A detection system that only detects foreign material of 7 mm or larger is going to get rejected by customers and auditors alike.

 

Do you produce a specific product? If you share that, other people in the same industry could share industry standards with you for what is reasonably expected.

[moskito]

Hi,

 

agreed; in the EC no official doc/standard exists (compared to e,g, US where you might refer to). 

 

Rgds

moskito

[Tony-C]

Hi purnama,

 

I have not seen any standards for foreign bodies in food for the EU. Whenever something doesn’t appear to be covered in local legislation I refer to CODEX standards for that food. Click here to see the list of available standards from CODEX.

 

You might find this article useful, although it doesn’t provide a standard for foreign bodies:

What requirements must processed fruit and vegetables comply with to be allowed on the European market? 

 

With the absence of any firm standards for foreign bodies I often reference the US FDA - Foods, Adulteration Involving hard or Sharp Foreign Objects Regulatory Action Guidance.

 

Kind regards,

 

Tony

[Charles.C]

Hi purnama,

 

I have not seen any standards for foreign bodies in food for the EU. Whenever something doesn’t appear to be covered in local legislation I refer to CODEX standards for that food. Click here to see the list of available standards from CODEX.

 

You might find this article useful, although it doesn’t provide a standard for foreign bodies:

What requirements must processed fruit and vegetables comply with to be allowed on the European market? 

 

With the absence of any firm standards for foreign bodies I often reference the US FDA - Foods, Adulteration Involving hard or Sharp Foreign Objects Regulatory Action Guidance.

 

Kind regards,

 

Tony

Hi purnama et al,

 

FWIW, Standard for Netherlands (maybe Belgium, I forget) afaik was/is(?) max 2mm. (I posted [not recently] an extract/translation somewhere else on this Forum).

 

(PS added - Country was Holland as per this oldish link which was offered as an assistance to earlier Post 10 -

https://www.ifsqn.co...7mm/#entry94195

(seems the limit [max 7mm or 2mm] depended on whether adult/infant consumer although this data maybe obsolete)

 

The FDA article, Post4, can be somewhat deceptive IMO from an USA POV unless one reads all the caveats (eg adulteration) although the basic hazard-related risk data stands by itself. (Maybe it's primarily a US feature however "adulteration" represents a potent recall threat even if the finding of mere metallic dust contamination occurs, for proof can refer to US Recall lists).

 

On the other hand, 5mm metal objects surely represent a potential dental threat if "directly" discovered by an adult  although, conversely, possibly not for infants?.

[Tony-C]

With the absence of any firm standards for foreign bodies I often reference the US FDA - Foods, Adulteration Involving hard or Sharp Foreign Objects Regulatory Action Guidance.

 

Kind regards,

 

Tony

 

 

Hi purnama et al,

 

FWIW, Standard for Netherlands (maybe Belgium, I forget) afaik was/is(?) max 2mm. (I posted [not recently] an extract/translation somewhere else on this Forum).

 

(PS added - Country was Holland as per this oldish link which was offered as an assistance to earlier Post 10 -

https://www.ifsqn.co...7mm/#entry94195

(seems the limit [max 7mm or 2mm] depended on whether adult/infant consumer although this data maybe obsolete)

 

Hi Charles,

 

I note that the Dutch standard/translation you quoted is based on my previous link US FDA - Foods, Adulteration Involving hard or Sharp Foreign Objects Regulatory Action Guidance.  

 

“The VWA has adopted the conclusions of the FDA regarding the risks of foreign hard particles in food. This is based on the available scientific literature cited and the findings of the evaluation committee of the FDA.

 

This means that the VWA considers the presence in food of hard and sharp parts of 7 mm or larger an unacceptable risk to the consumer. For food intended for small children or other high risk  groups  the VWA uses an upper limit of 2 mm.

 

The VWA will ensure that applied methods of control in food safety management systems at least aimed at preventing and / or eliminating foreign particles that are larger than or equal to the specified dimensions,  to ensure that risks are adequately controlled.”

 

Kind regards,

 

Tony