MUMBAI, February 20: The European Union (EU) plans to tighten the permissible levels of aflatoxin in HPS groundnut for human consumption and other non-edible varieties while also making the sampling norms more stringent. The proposed legislation is subject to clearance from the World Trade Organisation. If passed, it will be binding on all countries within the EU.
Also, none of the European countries produces HPS groundnut. The major suppliers of HPS groundnut are Argentina, China, India, South Africa, USA and Vietnam.
If the proposed EU legislation is passed, this is likely to completely halt the export of HPS groundnut to the EU countries.
According to the Indian Oilseeds & Produce Exporters Association (IOPEA), the EU plans to lower aflatoxin norm to a very low level of 10 PPB (parts per billion) for raw groundnut that is not for direct human consumption and to 4 PPB for consumer-ready ones.
Through this proposed legislation, the EU plans, for the first time, to standardise the level ofaflatoxin permitted while importing HPC groundnuts from various countries.
As of now, according to IOPEA, there are no prescribed aflatoxin levels by the EEC for the import of food stuff. However, the EC does have in place fixed, permissible levels for aflatoxin for animal feed imports.
Each of the nations under the European Union have their own permissible levels of aflatoxin for food stuff. These levels range from a low of 4 PPB in Denmark and UK to a high of 30 PPB permitted by Ireland.
In the absence of any uniform or prescribed single level of permissible aflatoxin, the exporting countries export foodstuff with aflatoxin levels as high as 10-30 PPB.
According to IOPEA, India exports, groundnuts with highest level of aflatoxin at 30 PPB, while that from South Africa is 10 per cent;Argentina, China, USA and Vietnam each has aflatoxin levels of 20 per cent.
The EC now proposes to harmonise the aflatoxin permissible levels through the proposed legislation.
The move, says IOPEA, is arbitrary andhasty and has not taken into account the genuine concerns of the international peanut trade and industry and other experts whose views command respect among all sections.
What is more, this stringent legislation has been opposed by consumer forums within the EU nations themselves -- the European Snack Association and Healthy Nut Initiative, among others.
All the groundnut exporting countries have opposed this move by the EU not to speak of the opinions of other world bodies like the Codex Alimentarius and Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives -- an expert committee formed by the FAO and WHO who have suggested 15/20 ppb and ruled out any health hazards to human beings, said IOPEA in a statement.
Meanwhile, against the registered export figure of 64,945 tonnes, an estimated 70,000 tonnes of HPS groundnut is expected to have been exported during the 11-month period to January 1998.
Registered exports of HPS groundnut to the EU countries, according to IOPEA, are: Germany 1,713 tonnes; Greece (360);Holland (7,646); UK (15,382) Portugal (108); Belgium (1,332); Bulgaria (252) and Spain (1,337). The actual exports to these countries could be higher than actual registered figures.
All major HPS groundnut supplying countries have jointly represented to the European Union authorities and also to WTO officials. The protest has been supported by the commerce ministry which has taken up the matter with the EU through the Indian Commissioner in Geneva.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
