EU Food Safety Regulations for Walnuts: Compliance and Contamination Prevention

2. Noix de Grenoble Noix du Périgord Jacques CAZOR General Directorate for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control 2

3. EU food safety and hygien regulationsand wallnuts

4. Food Law ( Regulation178/2002 Field of application) • Foodstuffs and animal feeds • All stages of production, processing and distribution of foodstuffs

5. Food Law ( Regulation178/2002 Field of application) • Food imported into the Community is to comply with the general requirements laid down in Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 or satisfy rules that are equivalent to Community rules. • These Regulation defines certain specific hygiene requirements for food imported into the Community (e.g: level of aflatoxins in certain nuts or dried fruits from certain countries)

6. 178/2002 General Principles principles of • transparency • justification (risk analysis)‏ • safety • precaution

7. 178/2002 • EFSA: European Food Safety Authority‏ • The EU’s Rapid Alert System • Setting up of

8. 178/2002 general recommendations • Security • Conformity (import, export)‏ • Responsibility of professionals • Responsibility of the relevant authorities • Checks • Traceability • Withdrawal from market • Information from inspection services

9. Regulation 852/2004 food hygiene

10. Food Hygiene • All necessary steps to guarantee the safety and hygiene of foodstuffs • The necessary measures and conditions to control risks and guarantee that a foodstuff is fit for human consumption if used in the prescribed manner

11. 852/2004 Field of application • The entire food-processing chain, including primary production and related activities • All risks

12. 852/2004 Field of Application All the managers of agri-food businesses, at every stage: • Primary production • Processing, packaging • Storage • Wholesale stage • Transport • All forms of distribution • Catering, including collective social services catering • Imports • Exports

13. All hazards: pathogens of a biological, chemical or physical nature likely to present a problem for public health Biological hazards Bactéries (E. Coli…), virus • Chemical hazards • TOXIC NATURAL • histamine, mycotoxins • RESIDUES pesticides • Environnemental (polluant or toxics factory fumes, water…) • Physical hazards • FOREIGN BODIES: • Glass, metal, needles, fragments of bone • ALLERGENS

14. 852/2004 Principles • Professionals have front-line responsibility for food safety • Food safety must be guaranteed at every stage, from primary production onwards

15. 852/2004 Strong Points • Compliance with Good Hygiene Practices • Compliance with the cold chain • HACCP(except primary production and related activities)‏ • Guide to Good Hygiene Practices (including primary production) andapplication of HACCP • Staff training • Declaration and registration of establishments

16. GUIDES TO GOOD PRACTICES • Collates recommendations specific to a given family of food products, OR if possible at a stage that allows regulatory health objectives to be met • Referring to relevant codes of practice of Codex alimentarius • Is based on a HACCP-type approach • Is validated from a scientific and technical point of view

17. CODE OF PRACTICE FOR THE PREVENTION AND REDUCTION OF AFLATOXIN CONTAMINATION IN TREE NUTS • Walnuts – as others tree nuts as hazel nuts, pistachio nuts, almonds… – are at risk of contamination by aflatoxins, which are considered to be genotoxic carcinogens; • In order to protect public health, to keep these contaminants at levels which are toxicologically acceptable • maximum levels of contamination have been set in several countries for different foodstuffs: tree nuts, groundnuts, dried fruits (figs…), cereals…

18. CODE OF PRACTICE FOR THE PREVENTION AND REDUCTION OF AFLATOXIN CONTAMINATION IN TREE NUTS • e.g European Union Commission has set at a strict level* in 2006 (rglt 1881 modified 2010) for certains tree nuts • wallnuts: • 2,0 µg/kg for aflatoxin B1 • 4,0 µg/kg for sum of B1, B2, G1 and G2 • Walnuts shall not be placed on the market when they contain aflatoxin at a level exceeding this maximum level. *In the edible part of the fruit.

19. CODE OF PRACTICE FOR THE PREVENTION AND REDUCTION OF AFLATOXIN CONTAMINATION IN TREE NUTS • E.U. commission considers that is reasonably achievable by following good agricultural, and manufacturing practices. • The CODE OF PRACTICE FOR THE PREVENTION AND REDUCTION OF AFLATOXIN CONTAMINATION IN TREE NUTS • elaborated in 2005 by Codex alimentarius provided uniform guidance for all countries to attempt to control and manage contamination by various mycotoxins, specifically aflatoxins.

20. CODE OF PRACTICE FOR THE PREVENTION AND REDUCTION OF AFLATOXIN CONTAMINATION IN TREE NUTS • This Code of Practice applies to all varieties of tree nuts of commercial and international concern, including walnuts (Juglans spp.).

21. CODE OF PRACTICE FOR THE PREVENTION AND REDUCTION OF AFLATOXIN CONTAMINATION IN TREE NUTS • Only by effective control at all stages from the farm through to processing can excellent quality of the final product be assured. • However, the complete elimination of mycotoxin contaminated commodities, including tree nuts, is not achievable at this time.

22. What are the mycotoxins? • Mycotoxins, and particularly aflatoxins, are secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungus (Aspergillus flavus/parasiticus) • found in soil, air and all plant parts On groundnuts • growing in warm, humid conditions.

23. Ecology of Aspergillus flavus/parasiticus • Fungi in the Aspergillus species are rapidly growing hyaline molds that are common opportunists found in the soil and on decaying matter; • cannot grow or produce aflatoxins at water activities less than 0.7; relative humidity below 70% and temperatures below 10ºC. • Under stress conditions such as drought or insect infestation, aflatoxin contamination may increase; • Improper storage conditions can also lead to aflatoxin contamination after crops have been harvested.

24. Why are they dangerous for health? • There are a number of different types of aflatoxin, • Which can be toxic to human and animals through consumption of contaminated food and feed entering into food chain. • Particularly aflatoxin B1 have been showed toxigenic effects: it can cause cancer by reacting with genetic material.

25. HOW TO REDUCE THEM? Procedures used to reduce and prevent aflatoxin production include: • (1) selection of resistant varieties, if practicable, • (2) minimize the presence of insects and other pests in the orchard during the growing phase, • (3) minimize physical damage to nuts during harvesting and transportation, • and (4) ensure that nuts are properly cleaned, dried and labelled when placed in a storage facility equipped with temperature and moisture controls.

26. Thank you for your attention