The Contaminants in Food (England) Regulations 2002

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

1.  These Regulations, which extend to England only and revoke and re-enact with changes the Contaminants in Food Regulations 1997 (S.I. 1997/1499, as amended)—

(a) make provision for the enforcement and execution of Commission Regulation (EC) No. 466/2001 setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs (OJ No. L77, 16.3.2001, p.1, as amended) (“the Commission Regulation”); and

(b) implement the following Commission Directives—

(i) Commission Directive 2001/22/EC laying down the sampling methods and the methods of analysis for the official control of the levels of lead, cadmium, mercury and 3–MCPD in foodstuffs (OJ No. L77, 16.3.2001, p.1, as corrected by a Commission Decision of 4th December 2001 (OJ No. L325, 8.12.2001, p.34)),

(ii) Commission Directive 2002/26/EC laying down the sampling methods and the methods of analysis for the official control of the levels of ochratoxin A in foodstuffs (OJ No. L75, 16.3.2002, p.38), and

(iii) Commission Directive 2002/27/EC amending Directive 98/53/EC laying down the sampling methods and the methods of analysis for the official control of the levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs (OJ No. L75, 16.3.2002, p.44).

2.  These Regulations—

(a) subject to transitional provisions (regulations 8 and 9), provide that it is an offence to—

(i) place on the market certain foods if they contain contaminants of any kind specified in the Commission Regulation at levels exceeding those specified (subject to a derogation applicable to certain types of lettuce and spinach),

(ii) use foods containing such contaminants at such levels as ingredients in the production of certain foods,

(iii) mix foods which comply with the maxima referred to above with foods which do not,

(iv) mix foods to which the Commission Regulation relates and which are intended for direct consumption with foods to which the Commission Regulation relates and which are intended to be sorted or otherwise treated prior to consumption, or

(v) detoxify by chemical treatments food not complying with the limits specified in the Commission Regulation (regulation 3);

(b) specify the enforcement authorities (regulation 4);

(c) prescribe sampling and analysis requirements in relation to foods subject to the Commission Regulation, and in so doing modify section 29 of the Food Safety Act 1990 so far as it applies to the taking of samples of the foods concerned (regulation 5);

(d) provide a defence in relation to exports in implementation of Articles 2 and 3 of Council Directive 89/397/EEC (OJ No. L186, 30.6.89, p.23) on the official control of foodstuffs, as read with the ninth recital to that Directive (regulation 6);

(e) provide for the application of specified provisions of the Food Safety Act 1990 for the purposes thereof (regulation 7);

(f) make consequential amendments to the Food Safety (Sampling and Qualifications) Regulations 1990 (regulation 10); and

(g) revoke specified Instruments (including, as already indicated, the Contaminants in Food Regulations 1997) (regulation 11 and the Schedule).

3.  A regulatory impact assessment has been prepared and placed in the Library of each House of Parliament, together with a transposition note setting out how the main elements of the Commission Directives referred to in paragraph 1 above are transposed for the purposes of these Regulations. Copies may be obtained from the Chemical Contaminants and Animal Feed Division of the Food Standards Agency, Aviation House, 125 Kingsway, London WC2B 6NH.