Support World Food Safety Day
Page tools
codexalimentarius > Themes > Contaminants

Contaminants

Contaminants are substances that have not been intentionally added to food. Food production processes can lead to substances entering the food at any moment: during manufacturing, handling, storage, processing or distribution. Contaminants can also enter the food from the environment. The presence of such substances in food must be monitored carefully to avoid contamination effecting the quality of the food or making the food unsafe.

The role of Codex in Contaminants

The Codex maximum level (ML) for a contaminant in a food or feed commodity is the maximum concentration of that substance recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission to be legally permitted in that commodity. As many contaminants occur naturally it would be impossible to impose a zero limit on these substances. To protect human health Codex works to keep these levels as low as possible based on sound scientific evidence.

The Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF) establishes and endorses permitted maximum levels or guideline levels for contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed. It also prepares priority lists of contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants for risk assessment by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).

The CCCF considers methods of analysis and sampling for the determination of contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed and develops and elaborates standards or codes of practice for related subjects. It also considers other matters assigned to it by the Commission in relation to contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food and feed.

Related Codex Texts

Reference Title Committee Last modified
EN
FR
ES
AR
ZH
RU
CXS 193-1995General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food and FeedCCCF2023
CXC 49-2001Code of Practice Concerning Source Directed Measures to Reduce Contamination of Food with ChemicalsCCCF2001
CXC 77-2017Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Arsenic Contamination in RiceCCCF2017
CXC 78-2017Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Mycotoxins in Spices CCCF2017
CXC 79-2019Code of Practice for the Reduction of 3-Monochloropropane-1,2- Diol Esters (3-MCPDEs) and Glycidyl Esters (GEs) in Refined Oils and Food Products Made With Refined OilsCCCF2019
CXG 92-2019Guidelines for Rapid Risk Analysis Following Instances of Detection of Contaminants in Food where there is No Regulatory LevelCCCF2019
CXC 81-2022Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Cadmium Contamination in Cocoa BeansCCCF2022

News

International Training for Safer Food - ITS Food Online 2023

Food Safety and risk management training with a focus on residues and contaminants by BVL Germany In October 2023 Germany’s Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) will once again host the International Training for Safer Food. ITS Food is a training on food safety risk management, aimed at staff working in public authorities of non-EU countries handling issues related to food safety. ITS Food 2023 will focus on “Residues and Contaminants”. Practitioners from competent authorities, official laboratories and research institutions [...]
15 February 2023

The safety standards set by CCCF at the core of the Codex mandate

Over 400 delegates gathered online for the opening of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF) which is taking place from 9 to 24 May 2022, hosted by The Netherlands from Utrecht. The committee regulates substances that have not been intentionally added to food by setting maximum levels to avoid levels of contamination that would make the food unsafe or affect its quality.  Speaking from the virtual studio, the Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Steve Wearne, United Kingdom, said [...]
09 May 2022

CCCF14 underway / Contaminants a real and invisible threat to the safety of our food

The Director General for Agriculture and Food Quality of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality in The Netherlands, Ms Marije Beens opened the 14th session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCC14) which is taking place virtually – with approximately 400 delegates in attendance at the first session on 3 May 2021. Acknowledging the challenges ahead of the committee in carrying out its discussions online, Director General Beens drew parallels with the current COVID pandemic in underlining [...]
03 May 2021

Large scale FAO Total Diet Study successfully assesses chemical residue contamination in food in Benin, Cameroon, Mali and Nigeria

FAO Food Safety and Quality Officers reported at CCAFRICA23 on a Total Diet Study (TDS) that for the first time covered a wide geographical area and examined a high number of chemical contaminants including mycotoxins, dioxins, pesticides, and heavy metals. A TDS is an instrument to assess the dietary exposure of populations to specific chemical contaminants. They analyze food cooked and prepared as it would be by the consumer and are representative of the foods eaten by a particular local population. [...]
06 September 2019

Codex adopts code of practice to reduce exposure to contaminants in refined oils

The COP is intended to provide guidance to reduce the formation of 3-MCPDE and GE in refined oils and food products made with these oils by offering good management practices for application by national authorities, producers, manufacturers and other relevant bodies.   The forty-second Codex Alimentarius Commission held in Geneva, Switzerland 8-12 July 2019, adopted a Code of Practice (COP) for the reduction of 3-Monochloropropane-1,2- diol esters (3-MCPDE) and Glycidyl Esters (GE) in refined oils and food products made with refined oils. The [...]
08 August 2019

Indonesia proud to host Codex contaminants meeting

Penny K. Lukito, Head of the Food and Drug Authority of the Republic of Indonesia opened the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF), held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia 29 April to 3 May, 2019 and stated how proud Indonesia was to once again be trusted with co-hosting a Codex meeting. Indonesia and The Netherlands are co-hosting CCCF13 The meeting is being attended by approximately 250 participants from 60 countries and in greeting delegates Wieke Tas, Chairperson from the permanent hosts of the [...]
30 April 2019
1 2 3 4

Key Facts

  • Contaminants are substances that have not been intentionally added to food
  • Contaminants can be present in food as a result of the various stages of production, packaging, transport or storage. They can also result from environmental contamination
  • Codex has established 17 (MLs) for contaminants including mycotoxins (poisonous funghi produced by certain chemical compounds), metals (such as arsenic, lead and mercury) and radionuclides (e.g. in drinking water)
  • Codex MLs ensure food does not contain contaminants at levels which could threaten human health
  • JECFA meets twice a year to evaluate contaminants in food

Five keys to safer food