2005, Volume IX, Issue 1REGULATORY NEWSIn an opinion adopted in 2003, the EU Scientific Committee on Animal Nutrition (SCAN) concluded that current EU legislation on aflatoxin B1 adequately protects animals and humans. In regard to ergot contamination in animal feed, the committee proposed replacing current regulations based on the amount of the sclerotia in cereal lots with specific limits for the individual ergot alkaloids present.They concluded that setting such limits would more effectively protect animal health.To that end,SCAN urged further study of methods for detecting and analyzing these alkaloids to support future regulatory efforts. SCAN also called for a fuller assessment of the risks posed by several other classes of mycotoxins, emphasizing the need to add ochratoxin A to the list of undesirable substances and to consider deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone for discussion. The need of EC support for development of standardized analytical methods for these mycotoxins was noted. The SCAN opinion is available on the following website: www.europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/scan/index_en.html |