JAPANESE FOOD REGULATIONS FOR RESIDUES OF AGRICULTURAL CHEMICALS IN FOOD - 20/09/2006
New Japanese regulations on residues of agricultural chemicals, feed additives and veterinary drugs in food effective from May 2006.
On May 29, 2006 Japan implemented new regulations on residues of agricultural chemicals, feed additives and veterinary drugs (hereinafter referred to as agricultural chemicals) in food.
According to the new regulation, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) established provisional MRLs (maximum residue limits) for 758 agricultural chemicals, in addition to around 10,000 existing official MRLs; those new provisional MRLs will remain “provisional” until they are reviewed. After a risk assessment of a provisional MRL is completed, an official MRL can be established.
Together the existing MRls and the provisional MRLs make up the so called “positive list”
Moreover MHLW established a uniform limit of 0.01 ppm, which will be the maximum allowable limit for combinations of chemicals and commodities that have no official or provisional MRLs.
As a consequence, foods containing residues exceeding the MRLs levels on the “positive list” or higher than 0.01 ppm for those that have no official or provisional MRLs will be prohibited from being sold in Japan.
MHLW also listed 15 chemicals for which no residues may be detected (“black list”) because of high human health risks, and 65 substances used as agricultural chemicals for exemption from the new regulation because they have no potential to cause damage to human health.
The 15 chemicals for which no residues may be detected (“black list”) are:
2,4,5-T, Amitrole, Captafol, Carbadox including QCA, Chloramphenicol, Chlorpromazine, Coumafos/Coumaphos, Cyhexatin and Azocyclotin, Daminozide, Diethylstilbestrol, Dimetridazole, Metronidazole, Nitrofurans, Propham, Ronidazole
With these new regulations, MHLW will not change its monitoring plan for imported foods, except that each sample will be tested for more residues.
Referring to the topic above specified, we inform you Chemical Control laboratory is able to support the customer in the quantitative analytical determination of the residues of agricultural chemicals defined in the new Japanese regulations and particularly for the 15 chemicals for which no residues may be detected (“black list”) on different types of foods.
