Agenda-item-5-EU comment-ML-melamine-13-04-final

13.04. 2010 European Union comments for the CODEX COMMITTEE ON CONTAMINANTS IN FOOD (CCCF) 4th Session Izmir, Turkey, 26 – 30 April 2010 Agenda Item 5 Proposed Draft Maximum Levels for Melamine in Food and Feed (CX/CF 10/4/5) European Union Competence European Union Vote The European Union (EU) appreciates the very good work performed by the electronic Working group under the lead of Canada and provides following comments on the proposed maximum levels. 1THE EFSA OPINION ON MELAMINE IN FOOD AND FEED The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) adopted in March 2010 a scientific opinion related to the presence of melamine and the structural analogues (cyanuric acid, ammeline and ammelide) in food and feed which was published on Tuesday 13 April 2010. EFSA identified the potential sources of melamine and cyanuric acid in food that were clearly not related to incidences of adulteration, including food contact materials, and estimated the associated dietary exposure. Melamine does not exhibit systemic toxicity, but is able to complex with other substances such as endogenous uric acid or substances related to melamine to form crystals in the urine, which cause kidney damage. From the available toxicological data, a Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) of 0.2 mg/kg body weight was established for melamine, which confirms the TDI derived by the WHO Expert Meeting held in collaboration with the FAO in ...