The basic principles of EU legislation on contaminants in food are laid down in Council Regulation 315/93/EEC:
Food containing a contaminant to an amount unacceptable from the public health viewpoint and in particular at a toxicological level, shall not be placed on the market
Contaminant levels shall be kept as low as can reasonably be achieved following recommended good working practices
Maximum levels must be set for certain contaminants in order to protect public health
Maximum levels for certain contaminants in food are set in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006. Maximum levels in certain foods are set for the following contaminants:
- nitrate
- mycotoxins (aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, patulin, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, fumonisins and citrinine)
- metals (lead, cadmium, mercury, inorganic tin, arsenic)
- 3-MCPD
- dioxins
- dioxin-like PCBs
- non dioxin-like PCBs
- Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) (benzo(a)pyrene) and sum of 4 PAHs)
- melamine
- erucic acid
Commission Recommendations
- Commission Recommendation (EU) 2022/1431 of 24 August 2022 on the monitoring of perfluoroalkyl substances in food
- Commission Recommendation (EU) 2022/1342 of 28 July 2022 on the monitoring of mercury in fish, crustaceans and molluscs
- Commission Recommendation (EU) 2022/561 of 6 April 2022 on monitoring the presence of glycoalkaloids in potatoes and potato-derived products
- Commission Recommendation (EU) 2022/553 of 5 April 2022 on monitoring the presence of Alternaria toxins in food
- Commission Recommendation (EU) 2022/495 of 25 March 2022 on monitoring the presence of furan and alkylfurans in food
- Commission Recommendation (EU) 2019/1888 of 7 November 2019 on the monitoring of the presence of acrylamide in certain foods
- Commission Recommendation (EU) 2017/84 of 16 January 2017 on the monitoring of mineral oil hydrocarbons in food and in materials and articles intended to come into contact with food
- Commission Recommendation (EU) 2016/688 of 2 May 2016 on the monitoring and management of the presence of dioxins and PCBs in fish and fishery products from the Baltic region
- Commission Recommendation (EU) 2016/22 of 7 January 2016 on the prevention and reduction of ethyl carbamate contamination in stone fruit spirits and stone fruit marc spirits, repealing Recommendation 2010/133/EU
- 2014/662/EU: Commission Recommendation of 10 September 2014 on good practices to prevent and to reduce the presence of opium alkaloids in poppy seeds and poppy seed products
- 2014/661/EU: Commission Recommendation of 10 September 2014 on the monitoring of the presence of 2 and 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (2 and 3-MCPD), 2- and 3-MCPD fatty acid esters and glycidyl fatty acid esters in food
- 2014/118/EU: Commission Recommendation of 3 March 2014 on the monitoring of traces of brominated flame retardants in food
- 2013/711/EU: Commission Recommendation of 3 December 2013 on the reduction of the presence of dioxins, furans and PCBs in feed and food
- 2013/165/EU: Commission Recommendation of 27 March 2013 on the presence of T-2 and HT-2 toxin in cereals and cereal products
- 2006/583/EC: Commission Recommendation of 17 August 2006 on the prevention and reduction of Fusarium toxins in cereals and cereal products
- 2003/598/EC: Commission Recommendation of 11 August 2003 on the prevention and reduction of patulin contamination in apple juice and apple juice ingredients in other beverages