G/SPS/N/EU/566  
 
13 May 2022  
(22-3763) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION  
1. Notifying Member:  EUROPEAN UNION  
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible:  European Commission, Health and Food Safety Directorate -General  
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, 
where applicable):  Non-parboiled milled rice (polished or white rice), rice flour, 
rice-based drinks, fish, crustaceans, bivalve molluscs, food  for infants and young children, 
fruit juices, concentrated fruit juices and nectars and salt  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable : 
[X] All trading partners   
[ ] Specific regions or countries:   
5. Title of the notified document:  Draft Commission Regulation (EU) amending Regulation 
(EC) No 1881/2006 as regards maximum levels of arsenic in certain foods (Text with EEA 
relevance) . Language(s):  English . Number of pages:  4+3 
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2022/SPS/EEC/22_3417_00_e.pdf  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2022/SPS/EEC/22_3417_01_e.pdf  
6. Description of content:  The draft Regulation lowers the existing maximum level for 
inorganic arsenic in non -parboiled milled rice (polished or white rice), for which currently 
already an EU ML is established under Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006, and it establishes 
new maximum levels for inorganic arsenic in rice flour, rice -based drinks, fish, 
crustaceans, bivalve molluscs, food for infants and young children, fruit juices, 
concentrated fruit juices and nectars and salt.  
7. Objective and rationale: [X]  food safety, [  ] animal health, [  ] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pe st or disease, [  ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.   
8. Is there a relevant international standard? If so, identify the standard:  
[X] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text) : Codex Gener al Standard for Contaminants and Toxins 
in Food and Feed (CXC 1995)  
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g.  Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number) :  
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM number) :  
[ ] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?  
[ ] Yes   [X] No  G/SPS/N/EU/566  
 
- 2 - 
 
  If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international stand ard: On the basis of a risk assessment the European Food Safety 
Authority concluded that in view of the exposure of EU consumers to inorganic arsenic, a 
risk to consumers cannot be excluded. On the basis of the available occurrence data in the 
European Uni on, there is margin to lower the ML for non -parboiled milled rice (polished or 
white rice). This measure is considered necessary to ensure a high level of human health 
protection.  
9. Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:    
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : Estimated December 2022.  
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : Estimated December 2022.  
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [  ] Six months from date of publication , and/or  
(dd/mm/yy) : 20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.  
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments: [X]  Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 12 July 2022  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [X]  National Notification 
Authority, [X]  National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if 
avail able) of other body:   
European Commission  
DG Health and Food Safety, Unit D2 -Multilateral International Relations  
Rue Froissart 101  
B-1049 Brussels  
Tel: +(32 2) 29 54263  
Fax: +(32 2) 29 98090  
E-mail: sps@ec.europa.eu  
13. Text(s) available from: [X]  National Notification Authority, [X]  National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if available) of other body:   
European Commission  
DG Health and Food Safety, Unit D2 -Multilateral International Relations  
Rue Froissart 101  
B-1049 Brussels  
Tel: +(32 2) 29 54263  
Fax: +(32 2) 29 98090  
E-mail: sps@ec.europa.eu