WORLD TRADE G/SPS/GEN/58
23February 1998
ORGANIZATION(98-0656)
Original: English Committee onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures
DRAFT ECREGULATION -AFLATOXIN CONTROL
Submission byBrazil
Thefollowing communication wasreceived from Brazil on18February 1998.
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Comments from Brazil onAflatoxin
1. Inorder tosafeguard thehealth ofconsumers, Brazil reviews, when thecasesowarrants, the
maximum levels ofaflatoxin. These revisions areinvariably based onsufficient scientific evidence
andareconducted insuchawayastoavoid turning alegitimate andjustifiable concern withpublic
health intoanillegitimate andunjustifiable barrier totrade.
2. TheECmeasure, which intends toreduce themaximum limitofaflatoxin to10micrograms
perkilo,seems based oninsufficient scientific evidence and,assuch, could result inanunjustifiable
barrier totrade. Thefollowing should bestressed: thelackofsufficient datatojustify thealleged
benefit totheconsumer asaresult ofthereduction ofmaximum levels ofaflatoxin currently allowed
infoodstuffs and(ii)theinadequacy ofthestatistical datautilized bytheEuropean Communities
concerningthepotentialcancerhazardofaflatoxin.Inthisrespect,itshouldbepointedoutthat,although
theECinterest incombatting cancer maybelegitimate, aflatoxins cannot besingled outastheonly
source ofcancer, adisease withmultiple origins.
3. Thesampling methods proposed bytheEuropean Commission donotrepresent afavourable
alternative totheconsumer compared withthemethods adopted byFAO. They may, consequently,
entail higher processing costs forexports totheEuropean Communities.
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