'Brown meat' redefined in Contaminants Regulation

06 May 2011

The European Commission has published an amendment to the Contaminants Regulation (Regulation 1881/2006) with a rewording of the Regulation that removes all reference to the 'brown meat of crab'. Brown meat is exempt from the limits placed on heavy metals, dioxins and polychlorinated biophenyls (PCBs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In its place, the new wording describes the meat to which maximum levels apply as 'muscle meat from appendages and abdomen'.

The reference to 'head and thorax meat of lobster and similar large crustaceans (Nephropidae and Palinuridae)' is also amended for better clarity.

Maximum levels for heavy metals and organic contaminants that apply to crustaceans remain unchanged. A new limit for cadmium of 3.0mg/kg will apply to food supplements consisting exclusively or mainly of dried bivalve molluscs or dried seaweed.

The Regulation comes into force on 20 May 2011.

Commission Regulation (EU) No 420/2011 of 29 April 2011 amending Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs is available here: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2011:111:0003:0006:EN:PDF