20 February 2003
FOOD AGENCY REMINDS BUSINESSES TO MEET OCTOBER DEADLINE FOR CHEMICAL PHASE-OUT
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today reminded importers and retailers of herbs, spices and dried vegetables used as seasonings, that residues of the chemical ethylene oxide (a sterilising agent) will not be permitted in Australia from 1 October 2003.
FSANZ Managing Director Ian Lindenmayer said there will be no stock-in-trade exemptions for food containing residues of this chemical and that from 1 October, herbs, spices and dried vegetable seasonings containing residues of ethylene oxide would be in breach of the Food Standards Code and must be removed from supermarket shelves.
‘Ethylene oxide has been used to control bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella in herbs, spices and dried vegetable seasonings for many years,’ Mr Lindenmayer said.
‘However, scientific tests have shown that ethylene oxide residues in the food may pose a risk to human health, although the exposure through herbs, spices and dried vegetable seasonings is very low.
‘A strict limit of 20 milligrams of ethylene oxide per kilogram of food was instituted as a precautionary measure in 2001, while industry moved to other safer and more sustainable technologies to control pathogens and to a complete phase-out by 1 October 2003.’
Mr Lindenmayer said a ‘withholding period’ of three weeks was also imposed to allow a further reduction of residues following treatment with ethylene oxide.
A joint industry-government working group was established to investigate the use of safer technologies and to encourage and monitor the reduction in the use of ethylene oxide.
It was encouraging that the industry has recently reported that alternative treatment techniques have been adopted for over 99 per cent, by volume, of all herbs, spices and dried vegetable seasonings - including steam sterilisation, through-chain good manufacturing practice and batch selection.
‘There may, however, still be importers and retailers who are unaware of the 1 October deadline for ethylene oxide residues in herbs, spices and dried vegetable seasonings in Australia,’ Mr Lindenmayer said.
‘It is important that they realise that no detectable residues will be permitted from that date.’
Media contact: Dr Michael Dack 02 6271 2239 or 0401 714 265