NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE, No. 50 — 8 MAY 2015

Schedule 19 - Maximum Levels of Contaminants and Natural Toxicants - Food Standards (Proposal P1025 - Code Revision) Variation—Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code – Amendment No. 154

The Board of Food Standards Australia New Zealand gives notice of the making of this standard under section 92 of the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991.

The Standard commences on 1 March 2016.

Dated 25 March 2015

Standards Management Officer, Delegate of the Board of Food Standards Australia New Zealand.

Note:
This Standard will be published in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. FSC 96 on 10 April 2015.

Note 1 This instrument is a standard under the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991 (Cth). The standards together make up the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. See also section 1.1.1—3.

Maximum levels of contaminants and natural toxicants are regulated by subsection 1.1.1—10(5) and Standard 1.4.1. This Standard lists contaminants and natural toxicants for food for subsection 1.4.1—3(1), and sets out the requirements for and method of calculating the level of mercury in fish for subsection 1.4.1—3(2).

Note 2 The provisions of the Code that apply in New Zealand are incorporated in, or adopted under, the Food Act 2014 (NZ). See also section 1.1.1—3.

S19—1 Name

This Standard is Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code – Schedule 19 – Maximum levels of contaminants and natural toxicants.

Note Commencement: This Standard commences on 1 March 2016, being the date specified as the commencement date in notices in the Gazette and the New Zealand Gazette under section 92 of the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991 (Cth). See also section 93 of that Act.

S19—2 Definitions

In this Schedule:

arsenic is taken to be a metal.

ergot means the sclerotium or dormant winter form of the fungus Claviceps purpurea.

hydrocyanic acid, total means all hydrocyanic acid including hydrocyanic acid evolved from cyanogenic glycosides and cyanohydrins during or following enzyme hydrolysis or acid hydrolysis.

MU means the unit of measurement for neurotoxic shellfish poisons described in Recommended procedures for examination of seawater and shellfish, Irwin N. (ed) fourth edition, American Public Health Association Inc.

ready-to-eat cassava chips means the product made from sweet cassava that is represented as ready for immediate consumption with no further preparation required, and includes crisps, crackers and ‘vege’ crackers.

S19—3 Calculating levels of contaminants and toxicants

(1) In this Schedule:

(a) a reference to a metal is taken to include a reference to each chemical species of that metal; and

(b) for a food for which only a portion is ordinarily consumed—a reference to the food is taken to be a reference to that portion; and

(c) in the case of seaweed—calculations are to be based on seaweed at 85% hydration; and

(d) subject to subsection S19—7(3), if food other than seaweed is dried, dehydrated or concentrated—calculations are to be based on the food or its ingredients prior to drying, dehydration or concentration.

(2) For paragraph (1)(d), calculations must be based on 1 or more of:

(a) the manufacturer’s analysis of the food; or

(b) the actual amount or *average quantity of water in the ingredients of the food; or

(c) generally accepted data.

S19—4 Maximum levels of metal contaminants

Note For mean levels of mercury in fish, crustacea and molluscs, see section S19—7.

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