Heavy metal contaminants in confectionary and chewing gum products

Hi All,

I kindly ask to you heavy metal limits in the food products according to EU Food Legislations.

In Turkey, some confectionary and chewing gum products are contaminated with heavy metals ( over the limits), The food additives in the products are the main reason we think so the water, steam etc are used the production was free from the heavy metals, please put your opinions about on reasons forunacceptable heavy metal limits in the products,.

Thank you very much for your opinions and have a nice weekend

Ayşegül

Hi All,

I kindly ask to you heavy metal limits in the food products according to EU Food Legislations.

In Turkey, some confectionary and chewing gum products are contaminated with heavy metals ( over the limits), The food additives in the products are the main reason we think so the water, steam etc are used the production was free from the heavy metals, please put your opinions about on reasons forunacceptable heavy metal limits in the products,.

Thank you very much for your opinions and have a nice weekend

Ayşegül

Can anybody help Ayşegül with this?

Dear Aysegul,

A little more info. might help.
What type of confectionery (other than chewing-gum) ?
Which heavy metals ?
Any particular incident (net link?) ?

Not my direct field however the most recent relevant EC regulation appears to be Commission Regulation (EC) No 466/2001. This has been updated for some items by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006. Can see this link –

http://ec.europa.eu/.../cadmium_en.htm

I cannot see any specific comments regarding confectionery. This may be due to the opinions expressed in the ‘scoop” article also given in above link, eg for lead –

“Table 4.12. Lead in confectionary (Cat. 5)
Data reported by 4 Member States.The occurrence levels in this group are low, as is the
consumption. It thus has very little impact on the total intake of lead. The mean contribution is
less than 0.5 % of the PTWI. “ This is in line with a much older ref. which contains this –

“Lead - The situation with regard to raw materials for confectionery
Cocoa, milk, fats, flour and especially sugar neither belong to the highly
contaminated foodstuffs, nor are they consumed in large quantities. Therefore
they make little contribution to the total contamination of the "shopping basket".
In the draft Codex Paper "Standard for Lead in Foods", therefore, they are not
considered, but a document does exist which includes some of these materials
(CX/FAC 95/18).”
( http://www.caobisco..../pdf/Metals.pdf. )

Nonetheless, this is not to say that there are no problems reported (though not recently in my viewing) – eg

“The Spaniard legislation sets up maximum levels for total arsenic (As) and copper (Cu) in confectionery products at 0.1 and 5.0 μg g[-1], respectively. Concentrations of these two trace elements were determined in four confectionery products: chewing gum, two licorice items, and soft candy. The effects of raw materials quality and production lines were studied. Arsenic and copper were quantified by atomic absorption spectrometry with hydride generation and slotted-tube atom trap tubes, respectively. Their levels were, in general, below the maximum limits establish by the Spaniard legislation; however, the As concentration in the licorice sticks was above this maximum limit (0.11 ± 0.01 μg g[-1]). Statistics proved that quality of raw materials and the production lines both significantly affected As and Cu concentrations in the final products. The licorice extract and molasses were found as the common source for As and Cu pollution. The As concentration in the licorice extract was 0.503 ± 0.01 μg g[-1], and could represent a serious hazard to human health if it is used in high proportions.”
( http://cat.inist.fr/...cpsidt=13726206 )

Or

How did lead get into the recalled products?
What progress has Dagoba made to fix this problem?
After working with the FDA and our suppliers, we determined that the lead got into the cacao mass used in the recalled chocolate products at the facility where cacao beans were processed. The FDA inspected our own manufacturing facility, and verified that lead is not a factor. All other products, which are made with a different source of cacao, showed test results that meet FDA guidelines. This helped us isolate the problem to one kind of cacao from one supplier.
Our founder visited the cacao supplier to pinpoint the source of the lead, by inspecting each step from the farm to the processing facility. Tests on the cacao beans showed lead levels well below FDA guideline, which verified us that that the lead was not coming from the farms or soil, but was isolated to the processing facility.
To ensure that this problem does not happen again, we have ceased working with the processing facility involved. In addition, we will continue rigorous routine testing on all raw materials and finished products so we can ensure that you receive the high quality, healthful products you have come to expect from us.
http://www.dagobachocolate.com/recall/

http://www.seventype...sp?TOPIC_ID=812

Rgds / Charles.C

added - happened to notice that another source of contamination in confectionery can be via things like peanuts, can see -

http://www.foodstand...0in_peanuts.doc